Hey, my dear Siestas!
How is my favorite blog community doing this fine holiday season? It’s Monday and LPM is closed all week so we can all have an extended Sabbath and spend a little extra time with our families. The staff works so hard through the Fall semester of Bible study that, by Thanksgiving, everybody could use a rest in the worst – and best (we love what we get to do!) – way.
Melissa’s already here and her darling Colin will join us tomorrow. Our men let us have a special weekend just with the girls so she, Amanda, and I have already had the best time together. We laughed until, honestly, I pulled a muscle in my stomach. I’m not even kidding. I can’t remember ever doing that in my entire life but we got that kind of tickled when you think you’re going to throw up or your face is going to freeze in a contortion. The stupid part of it is that I can’t even remember exactly what originally got us tickled but it was in a restaurant and I doubt anybody was blessed but us.
We will have a big four-generation family Thanksgiving here at my house with several new guests followed by a tad quieter Christmas. Keith, the Joneses and I will all head to Atlanta soon after for the Passion conference. That’s one reason Thanksgiving will be our big holiday blow out this season instead of Christmas. Amanda is going to bring this incredible pumpkin dessert that you serve warm and I’m sure Melissa will fix something really good. She hasn’t committed yet. I’ll do the traditional Thanksgiving meal. As poor a cook as I am, generally speaking, I make a really good meat-and-potatoes meal. I can make cornbread dressing nearly as well as my mom did and Amanda lives for it every year. I have this small window of opportunity to be built up for my cooking so I relish the fleeting moment.
I can’t wait for the big family to see Annabeth. Jackson has always been a huge crowd pleaser and, boy, is his sister trying to hog some of his spotlight. She is at that stage where she is doing something new constantly. Crawling all over the place. Starting to say a few words (we should have “Bibby” mastered by Christmas), waving, clapping her hands, laughing her head off, and giving her big brother a run for his money over his toys. My firstborn is about to have her hands FULL because her baby is going completely mobile. I think God makes toddlers extra cute so their parents can bear the trouble.
OK, I’m anxious to hear what you guys are doing for Thanksgiving, even if it’s just regular stuff. That’s the best kind of holiday if you ask me. So here are three questions so we can see what everybody’s up to this week:
1. Where will you be for Thanksgiving and with whom?
2. Do you guys eat turkey and dressing or do you have a different tradition? If so, what is it?
3. What’s your one favorite dish at Thanksgiving?
Like you, we Moores, Joneses, and Fitzpatricks have so much to be thankful for. God has been unreasonably good to us but, of course, that’s the nature of divine grace. We have had a really challenging 2009 in several respects that we haven’t necessarily been free to share on such a public format but God has been active and powerful in our midst. Several of those situations are ongoing so you won’t waste a prayer on us right now. I will look forward to sharing about some of the things we’re walking through as we get to the other side and have some of the clarity and revelation that retrospect brings. Meanwhile, we need God enough for His Word to be such life and breath to us that we’re not taking a lot of spiritual time off…and that’s the way I like it. Many wonderful things have happened, too. I’m sure our lives are much like yours: a wild concoction of joy, laughter, pain, and bewilderment. Our one true unmovable thing is Jesus. He continues to be the uncontested center of life around here. Even when we waver, wander, or stumble, He remains steadfast and faithful.
Later in the week I’ll give you a chance to let us know what this holiday season finds you most grateful for. I’ll look so forward to that.
Amanda, Melissa and I are honored to serve you. You are loved here. Let me know what you guys are up to!
