Thanksgiving 2020

 Oh come, let us sing to the LORD; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation! 

Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving (8426); let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!  

For the LORD is a great God, and a great King above all gods. 

Psalm 95:1-3

Sing to the LORD with thanksgiving make melody to our God on the lyre! 

Psalm 147:7

This was an exercise of meditation Thanksgiving morn to help me overcome my emotional shortcomings. 

Waking up that morn to the sad reality of our first Thanksgiving without Poppy overwhelmed me. 

Meme had a difficult week of being alone in her home, because she is still unable to welcome guests into her home for visits.  

Her isolation has compounded her grief, and my inability to be with her compounded mine. 

This was our year to be with the Grays at Mark’s sister’s home.  Meme was taken to Aunt Faye’s for Thanksgiving by my older brother and his family   My younger brother’s family decided to postpone gathering with our family in Clay Hill due to Covid 19, but gathered with their daughter’s family.  Their son’s family was out of town with his wife’s parents. 

I’m thankful Meme and Aunt Faye were not alone. Aunt Faye’s son, his wife and daughter, and close friend gathered as well.  Ken’s friend lost his dad last week.  I hurt for TJ’s grief, but I’m thankful our family could welcome, surround, and support him at such a time. 

As much as I wanted to be with my mom and family this year, her first Thanksgiving without Dad, we needed to be with Mark’s mom and family also.  

This day turned out to be our first Thanksgiving with our firstborn’s family. They are usually away every Thanksgiving, but an unwelcome kidney stone for C’s dad discouraged their drive to visit them. 

Grays,  grands, and great grands enjoyed togetherness, and I am immensely thankful!! 

We're not in the practice of singing together, but if thinking out the words of a song counts as praise, I pray this simple song of doxology will always encourage us to consider how we practice and express gratitude to the LORD...

Praise God from whom all blessings flow!

Praise Him all creatures here below!

Praise Him above ye heavenly hosts! 

Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost! 

Amen!

Because of our absence, I asked Joanna to take and share photos, and this is my favorite of those she shared.

This serene place in the country and the company of her oldest son’s family was good medicine for Meme on Thursday!

Thank you, Father, for your provision and care of my mom on her first Thanksgiving without Dad.  

Thank you for Dear Aunt Faye’s welcome and home, sweet home of comfort.  Please bless her and our family for being available to love Mom when I could not be with her. 

Thank you for being our ALL in all! 

 

Someone’s Mother

“There is a tribe in the Southern Sudan called "Nuers" where a woman's name is changed not when she becomes a wife, but when she becomes a mother. She is "ManPuk"--"Mother of Puka." Among the Nuers, being someone's mother is what makes a woman's life meaningful. Two thousand years ago there was another young woman, of the Jewish tribe of Judah, who understood that truth. The world has never forgotten her--Mary, the mother of Jesus--because she was willing to be known as, simply, Someone's mother.”

I read and copied this the other day from an article shared on Elisabeth Elliot’s new/updated website... 

https://elisabethelliot.org/

I shared it in a text I sent to our children…

I TOTALLY understand the weight and value of being “someone’s mother”,  a mom of children God has given and called me to love and nurture, serve, release, and pray for. 

Does this calling ever end?  

The specifics of how now to love and care has to change with each of you leaving home to marry, but I’m left to continue wondering, “Will I ever stop caring?” 

This season of transition has been hard, an emotional test time for me.  The letting go seems like what (I imagine) an amputation would feel like when the nerve endings still flare from the severing!  I experienced this firing/flaring with the cutting out of the cancerous lumps 3yrs ago (Nov. 22, ‘17).  Those firings and flares lasted for months.  Even now, I still have some occasional sensitivity to the touch, but do not experience  near the electric awareness I exp’d after my surgery. 

Will you pls bear with me, and pray for me?  I think one of the hardest realities from the severings are fears of being misunderstood.  I do not want to hold you back (though I will always long to hold you a little longer) as much as I desire to be faithful to the Lord and to each of you in the letting go. I do not want to mess up.  I will always treasure holding you close for a season.  I love the priceless treasured gift of being your mom.  

As always, I love you more, and more, and forever more...

❤️