Giving Thanks

Goodies from a Thanksgiving past

If it weren't for those mighty strong early British settlers and the Native Americans who helped them survive that first winter, we wouldn't have this glorious holiday.  My ancestors came to this country from England and Ireland not long after the original flock of Pilgrims, so I have always had a soft spot in my heart for this day.  My relatives lived and died for this country and the promise it brought.  I am thankful to them for their strength and tenacity.

It is difficult to imagine life back then and the perils they encountered.  We have become so comfortable in our wealth and common comforts, that it would be unconscionable to think of sleeping outside in the elements or afraid of closing our eyes at night for fear of an attack from a band of foreign peoples.  How long would we last if we had to hunt down our food - or grow it from seed...all of it?   What if we had to build our homes just from things we could find growing around us? How would we stay warm when the temperatures dipped towards freezing or below?

I think of the women of that time and I can't help but be in awe of them.  We women have more on our plates than men when it comes to "adventuring".  I can not imagine being pregnant and giving birth at that time in our nation's history.  How many women on those original ships were pregnant?  How many women survived and gave birth to healthy children?  That actually seems like a miracle when you consider how the odds were stacked against them.

Yes, this nation was founded on strength, tenacity, sheer will, and faith.  Faith was the glue that bound those early settlers.  Their prayers during that first winter were heard and they prayed in thanksgiving over that large meal they shared with their Native American friends.

This Thanksgiving, my family and I will pray and thank God for all of the blessings He has bestowed upon us.  I can't imagine being any richer.  I am thankful for so many things this year: the Church, my husband, my children, our health, our home, our friends, and our extended family.  I am also thankful for all of you who stop by to take a peak at this blog.  This has really been a blessing in my life to be able to finally put all of my sometimes incongruent thoughts "down on paper".  My husband has been telling me for twenty years to write, so this is my start.  I have really been enjoying maintaining this blog, as well as getting to see the numbers of people who read it and the countries from which they hail.  I wish all of you a blessed Thanksgiving filled with love, health, and full bellies.  May God bless each and every one of you!

Duggars say YES to Twenty!

Okay, I'm feeling a definite need to respond to people's comments about the Duggars being pregnant with their twentieth child.  My comment is, "Congratulations!  I'm so happy for them!"  This family is an example to us all on how to keep our eyes on the Lord.  Their priorities are straight...God and family.  And God is blessing them richly.

I have seen comments like, "they are disgusting" and "they are irresponsible."  Really?  Since when was having children disgusting?  Since when did it become irresponsible for a husband and wife who are madly in love with each other to have a large family?  The Duggars are doing just fine.  They feed, clothe, bathe, love, and provide a beautiful home for their children.  They are raising every single one of them without financial assistance from the government so they are not a burden to society at large.  They homeschool all of their children, so they are actually paying into the public school system but not taking from it in any way.  They instill strong Christian principles into all of their children.  They attend Church every weekend, even hosting their entire church in their own home on occasion.  They are stewards to the community at large by helping in soup kitchens, rebuilding people's homes after storms, etc.  They also make sure that every single one of their children can play an instrument or two - I believe their main instrument of choice is the violin.  Hmmmm, irresponsible?  disgusting?  I'm not really seeing what is so disgusting or irresponsible about them.

Is it that people think they might have a child with a disability now that Michelle is 45?  Is that really up to you to decide?  (I'm sorry to make this analogy but it reminds me of when so many people said they wouldn't vote for John McCain because he would probably die while in office from his skin cancer.  Guess what?  He's still very well alive.)  God sends his children to us with all types of imperfections all the time.  They are still God's children and made in His image.  They are supposed to be here.  They are not mistakes.  That attitude makes me ill.  Someone said to me today, "I don't mean to be selfish, but I wouldn't want one with problems."  Really?  REALLY?  Guess what?  All children will have problems at one time or another.  They're just all different and sometimes they don't manifest until much later.  It may be as simple as having trouble in school socially, or it may be at the other end of the spectrum such as having cerebral palsy.  All children are children of God made in His image, and all children are blessings.

I'm happy for the Duggars.  They are an inspiration to me as I deal with my daily struggles with my measly four - compared to their nineteen!  I will pray for them and their newest twentieth addition on the way.  I will pray that some people in our culture who would otherwise despise everything they represent begin to see the beauty that is in the Duggar family.  They are anything but disgusting or irresponsible.  I can think of many other adjectives to describe them and those two would not be there.  I wish them well.

p.s.  For anyone who does not know who the Duggars are, they are a large family who has a show on The Learning Channel.  You can see all about them here:  The Duggar Family