Hey, Girls!
I’m sitting on the back porch on a lovely Sunday afternoon. Queen Esther is a few feet from me hugging a yellow tennis ball with her front paws and huffing and puffing with a wide, toothy grin in the afterglow of about 30 good cross-yard throws. I use one of these thing…
…for two really good reasons:
1) I wear out long before Star does and I don’t mind saying I don’t wear out all that easy. She never gets enough ball time. Never. I’m no math wizard but hurling that thing twice as far means I only have to throw it half as often.
2) In a word: dog spit. Well, that’s two words. Or let’s just make it a hyphenated word: dog-spit. She may be the Queen but spit is still spitty. I don’t care how lovely the original Queen Esther was, Xerxes wouldn’t have given her a second look with spit all over her chin. It’s just not ladylike. The whole story could have slipped and fallen on it.
Anyway, what I’m trying to get at is that I’ve gotten to have a few days mostly to myself. I hate to even mention those words to you moms of young children but it will happen for you someday, too, and sometimes you’ll be glad it did and other times you’ll pine for those babies like every fine day of your life is long behind you even though you know better than that. That’s when it’s a really good idea to have grandbabies but, unfortunately, it doesn’t always get to be your idea.
My man almost always heads to the ranch Thanksgiving afternoon after the meal. It was the deer lease before he got some hunting acreage of his own. I don’t pout about it because I don’t mind and it wouldn’t do much good anyway and it’s simply the way we’re accustomed to doing life. We were laughing at the table a few days ago when he admitted that, in the early years, he’d go to a little extra trouble to be a handful this time of year so that, the second he mentioned heading to the deer camp, I’d yell, “Gooooooo!” and kiss him goodbye in an anxious fury. Anyway, Keith’s idea of closeness has never been clinginess. Sometimes, if he’s been cooped up too long around here, he’ll retreat a tad into his own world like a lot of men do but 30 minutes after his truck tires hit I-10 West (or at least by the first Buccee’s) he’s often calling me and telling me why he ever fell in love with me in the first place. It makes me smile every time.
My man and I do better on this schedule: a lot of time together, a little time apart, a lot of time together, a little time apart, a lot of time together, a little time apart… And that’s how we’ve made it 34 years this coming December 30th.
Instead of getting my nose out of joint when he’s gone (it wouldn’t be a pretty sight anyway), I play like I own the place. I get up a bit later, read a little more, have longer quiet times, come and go as I please, and get with friends (and family, of course, but family is something we do on a regular basis anyway), walk in the woods all by myself (with Star) and I watch movies he’d probably hate.
Yesterday I decided to spend most of the day by myself doing this and that and, lo and behold, I got in the Christmas spirit. I tried to find where our Christmas decorations got stored in this new house last year when we made our monumental move to the country but, for the life of me, I couldn’t find a single box. I don’t know how to navigate the attics yet so I’m sure they’re up there. If they’re not, believe you me, you’ll hear about it. There will be heck to pay by somebody, especially if the stockings I handmade and tediously beaded from a kit for Keith, Amanda, Melissa and myself back in 1982 don’t show up. It was my last act of seamstressness and, without it, there is not the least whiff that I ever walked in craftiness. I’ll not have it.
But I did indeed know exactly where my Christmas dishes were. They were a gift from my “Other.” You know. We girls have a mother then many of us who live in a wide enough circle of women also have an “Other.” I mean, who really gets enough nurturing in this life from one older woman? Spread the love around. She doesn’t take the place of the one who raised you but sometimes you can tell her things you can’t exactly tell your M-Other. That was Miss Mary Helen to me. I have many things from her and most are beyond a retail price but these dishes are the most beautiful ones I’ve ever owned and I have 12 whole place settings. I bet a number of you have this same Spode pattern or one similar. It was the ultimate in Christmas dinnerware to our mothers and grandmothers and, to traditionalists, it can hardly be outdone.
It’s too big a waste to set them aside only for Christmas Eve or Day so I try to get them out nice and early and put some of them on this stand Miss Mary Helen gave me so we’ll use them everyday through the season. It’s a happiness to me.
And that’s all it took. Next thing I knew, I’d downloaded a new Christmas album on my iPhone. I don’t like it yet but I will before long. You know how we are about Christmas music. It’s the memories that surround them that make them our favorites but I’m ripe for some new memories anyway. Bring them on!
Actually, I got on here today just to say that I’d love to hear about one of your favorite moments from your Thanksgiving holiday weekend. Any of the four days will do. It doesn’t have to be life altering. Our community here also appreciates a snippet of simplicity. Just capture something you keep picturing from the weekend. An expression. A taste. A conversation. A sight. Write us up a little snapshot of it so that we can picture it through your words and through your beautiful eyes. Not too long, remember. We bloggers are notorious for ADD, myself included. It’s rare that we really read a long one. I’m so mindful when I write a long post that, by the end of it, I’ve lost most people. Sometimes it’s worth it because I’m working something through but, most of the time, I’d have been the wiser to have been the briefer.
Oh, Amanda snapped this picture of her Daddy and me on Thanksgiving afternoon so I might as well throw it in, too. He’s wheels are heading East and I’ll be mighty glad to see that handsome face. We Moores love you guys. Christmas will be here in exactly one month whether we’re ready for it or not. You may as well not fight it. Tie that house of yours up in red and green and slam the door on your Scrooginess. Don’t be a fossil. Make some wassail. Tis the season, Sweet Thing. Let’s celebrate us some Jesus.
I seem to make it a habit to be several days tardy to most of these parties. I’ve been busy crafting 🙂 No kidding. Okay, okay…snapshot.
This is mighty simple, but breathtaking to this newly hatched empty nester: my three college kiddos around the table with me and my husband for several meals. And some of them actually prepared by yours truly! (I’m a crafter, not a cooker). I’m in tears just remembering…the laughs, the jabs, the comfort, the boy-is-this-better-than-cafeteria-food. Who knew they’d come to appreciate even my cooking. I just needed to lower the bar 🙂
Cackled at Keith’s admission of deliberately being a handful. Priceless!
Off to heat up the glue gun 😉
I keep picturing my now fiance on one knee in the middle of a bed of rose petals on a bridge at the edge of a lake holding that box with a smile on his face! I was so much enjoying the moment that I almost forgot to say yes! Thank goodness I remembered before I made him wait too long! He was so sweet to propose in my favorite state of NC with almost all of my family in town in stead of in FL with all of his!
This Thanksgiving was a memorable one in a surprising way. We lost my mother,at age 66 (who thank you Lord, was in Christ since a early age) to pancreatic cancer in September. After our meal, in which my baby sister cooked her very 1st turkey mind you, my sister requested all of us sit down and say what we are thankful for. My mother always made us do this at Thanksgiving during our meal. We started with the children ranging from ages 2 -10. What a blessing this turned out to be! Many tears were shed, and many laughs were had, and so many memories were shared. In such a strange way, such a major loss brought us such joy in our memories. My father, now a widower, was most thankful for forgiveness! Thankfulness now has a new meaning for me!
Thanksgiving is about taking the extra time and making everything from scratch, working side by side with my mom in a kitchen only big enough for two. To me it is amazing that even though the two of us work together cooking only twice a year, Thanksgiving and Christmas, that it is like watching a well oiled machine…A phrase that a friend said watching us work together for the first time. But it made me step back and take a look, and realize how much I enjoy these times with my mom.
My son Luke worked for the first time on thanksgiving, he’s employed at target. I was blessed to have the day off and spend it with Godly friends. Luke came home from work Monday with a heavy heart about missing thanksgiving. I was unexpectedly off tuesday so I went to the store came home and made thanksgiving for my son. He was delighted to have our holiday together even though it was late. We’ve missed many thanksgiving meals over the years, I am a caregiver so as such I often work holidays. It was the best thanksgiving ever. God is worthy to be praised!!!!!
Thank you! I have not been feeling it and the last line you wrote, “lets celebrate some Jesus” well it did it!
My favorite part of my weekend was spending time with family on Thanksgiving and than on Friday with my sister and her girls for leftovers and on Sunday after church with my brother, sisters-n-love and nieces and nephews eating leftovers again. So wonderful to spend time with them just relaxing and embracing the family that God has blessed me with.
Beth, I too love geting my Christmas dishes out a few weeks before Christmas to use.
My son is a student at Belmont in Nashville, so my husband, my daughter and myself drove from Texas to Nashville to celebrate with him. He took us to the top of a little hill about a mile and half from Belmont’s campus. We arrived about 20 min. before sunset. The view to the east was downtown Nashville with the sunset reflecting off the buildings and the view to the west was a great view of the sun slowly slipping out of sight. Simple, lovely and and a new memory shared by the four of us!
Beth: It’s been awhile since I’ve had opportunity to drop by but I am glad I found this post. I laughed over the descriptions of your marriage. My travel and writing has often taken me away from Tim. Sometimes for far too long but we, too, seem to be able to work out the marriage this way — we are planning to celebrate our 35th next summer with a long trip to Europe. But since August, I’ve spent most of the weeks in Seattle caring for my mother who is dying. He’s in Oregon, working. Weekends I am often traveling, speaking about the last book. So our time together has been a day here, a night there. I think the reason it works for us is because I was raised military and he was a MK. We were used to parents whose careers took them away for stretches of time. I always say God pays attention to the details. Our marriage is proof of that.
My favorite moment over Thanksgiving was during the family reunion we had. My husband’s father has 5 siblings. Five out of six were at the reunion. (My own father-in-law was not able to make it due to health problems.) Thursday afternoon the five siblings (ages 68-84) were all sitting together reading exerts from their mother’s diaries and laughing together and sharing childhood stories. Priceless. The siblings rarely get together so it was such a treat.
As I was preparing and chopping the veggies I add to my stuffing, up way too late, all I could remember was my mama. She liked to tell me exactly how small to chop the veggies,every year it was the same.It sometimes got irritating. My mama died almost 4 years ago, and this Thanksgiving she would have celebrated her 70th birthday. As I remembered her “guidance” of how to make the stuffing, every year the same, it was now a sweet memory, she was somehow with me in the preparations.Missing her, loving her, remembering her.
I am so late responding to this post. Hope that’s okay. I had to work Thanksgiving and so I wasn’t going to celebrate until the weekend. I didn’t have to work until 3pm and so I slept in. What I woke up to was the strongest sweetest presence of Jesus I have ever experienced. What I couldn’t get over was how incredibly loved I felt. I just sat there on the edge of my bed in my nightgown basking in His presence…oh we had such a time! I’m in therapy dealing with my past and I know I don’t have to tell you how difficult that is. But one of the things Jesus spoke to my heart that Thanksgiving morning was that He never destined my heart to be a wilderness of darkness and weeds thriving, choking the life out of me. But for my heart to be a beautiful garden that He plants, tends to and loves. A beautiful garden where others can bask in the love and beauty He’s planted there.
It was my last act of seamstressness and, without it, there is not the least whiff that I ever walked in craftiness. I’ll not have it.
Oh, this line made me laugh out loud!!! :o) I just recently bought a Santa at a Thrift Store and it needs some fixing up. It is just white, needs more ‘Holiday Cheer’ added to it, so I am trying this morning to sum up my craftiness. It is very important to me that I get the poor thing’s head secured, since it is almost decapitated. Maybe I will take a before and after picture to capture the craftiness, if it actually occurs. GRIN
An early Merry Christmas to you and your family! ((((((((BEAR HUG)))))))
It was a bittersweet Thanksgiving, after just losing my dear sweet mother-in-law in September. She spent her last 6 months living with us as we cared for her while she was battling cancer. Her husband had died the previous September of the same dreaded disease.
Anyway, my hubby works on the road and gets home about once a month…which is way better than our deployment days….so instead of him coming home for the holiday…I went to him. Just a short 4 hour drive up to Springfield, MO. Our daughter is married and stayed home with her little family (our first grandbaby, Olivia) and our 17 year old son stayed behind to take part in the big Thanksgiving hunt. So it was just me and my man. A RARE treat. We had an absolute blast walking around Bass Pro Shop (where all good wives take their hubbys) and then Silver Dollar City…soaking in the sights and sounds of Christmas…topped off with a Hickory Burger for our Thanksgiving meal. Loved it 🙂 Even the tears that fell on occasion were a welcome surprise.
My favorite memory from this Thanksgiving is sitting around the table after dinner with my cousins and my Mom playing Mad Libs. My Mom has dementia and it was such a blessing to see her actually be able to play the game! She needed very little proding as to what a noun, verb, adverb, etc was and she was able to come up with words. We all had a wonderful time and alot of laughs, but it was so special to see that glimpse of the Mom I remembered.
My favorite part of Thanksgiving this year was spending the afternoon with my brother who nearly lost his life when he overdosed on drugs last year. God set him free in a powerful way and none of us will ever be the same. My mom died from cancer two years ago, and he was her biggest concern. She’d be thrilled to see how well he’s been doing. And…being mommy to three babies 5 and under makes me long for alone time, although I’m trying to treasure these fleeting moments.
My favorite Thanksgiving memory this year is….our very first grandbaby came home from the hospital on Thanksgiving Day! If I could post a picture here, I WOULD! She was in THE cutest Thanksgiving shirt, bow and tutu her mommy made for her! I am forever in love!
I have to say that my favorite part was being in Tennessee at my brother’s over the weekend. My cousins and their children along with my Aunt and Uncle came over and we had an extended-family game night. The Gerkin’s, Berry’s and Callahan’s are a competitive bunch. We had a blast. My parents died young and so this time with our extended family time is a true blessing from God!
Pam
I didn’t go Black Friday shopping!! Instead, we slept in late
and put our Christmas tree. My husband took off a day of work which was fun.
By the way, I visited my first ever Buccee’s this past summer in Austin. Obnoxiously Big!! I couldn’t get away from all the homemad candy. It was quite the experience. We have nothing here in KY to even measure up!!
Sorry I’m late, but I hope some are still reading and will relate to this. We had 40 at our Thanksgiving dinner! And most of us are related, by blood or marriage. Both of my parents have gone to live with Jesus, but their 3 children, 7 grandchildren, 16 great-grandchildren, 1 great-great-grandchild, assorted spouses and significant others, and a couple of cousins, all gathered together, and did we ever make a joyful noise! We ranged in age from 13 months to 73 years. The sights and sounds (and smells and tastes!) of that day are a glorious snapshot in my mind.
I’m late to the game this time, but I had to share! I got to see my sister-in-law’s pregnant belly for the first time! After a struggle with infertility that nearly sent them over the edge, it was such a JOY to put my hands on that 5-months-pregnant belly and imagine the little boy who is growing inside of her. It’s been 8 years since we’ve had a baby in the family and we are all beside ourselves with the mere anticipation of it!
That is fantastic Renee!
Family. Just family. We had a sad Thanksgiving this year due to the sudden and unexpected death of my very special nephew at the age of 24. We know he is with the Lord, but I urge all of us to make Thanksgiving an every day event. Thank the Lord for loved ones, hug them tight and don’t forget to tell them how much they mean to you.
Hi Beth!:)
It’s been a little while now since Thanksgiving, but I remember something that was a good moment for me this Thanksgiving: At my in-laws, we usually have Thanksgiving dinner the day before Thanksgiving, and my mother-in-law started a Thanksgiving journal a couple of years ago, where each person that wants to in the family can write down what they are thankful for each year. It’s always fun to read the past entries. Like, for the past 3-4 years, my husband has recorded in there that he’s thankful for digestion among other things:) This year, I got to record that I’m thankful for BOTH my babies, little Colt in the belly and my daughter, Makenna:)((HUGS)) to you Beth!
I’m a bit late here but wanted to share anyway. 🙂 Having 3 kids in 3 1/2 years, pretty much all my favorite things to do went out the window. This year however, one of them was re-started-Christmas tree hunting! We drove in to the mountains with the kids and in-laws and cut down the PERFECT Christmas tree. The kids did great and it was a wonderful day!
Beth, I just wanted to thank you for loving God so much and obeying His guidance as you teach. I just finished your short series in Deuteronomy and loved it. Thank you for your example of a life lived out of love for God and His word. I pray that God will grow that same love for Him in me.