His Love and Truth Endures- Happy Thanksgiving!

I woke up this morning to snow spitting outside, bullet gray skies, and the wind chimes singing a lonesome tune.

Yet my heart smiled...

because what is more miraculous and cleansing than the spitting of snow, the purity of those white snowflakes drifting from the sky, each one as unique as each of us?

My heart overflows....

As I sit at the table and listen to Caleb and Wallace argue. Nana and Papaw have made all of the favorites, mashed potatoes and rolls and some kind of butterscotch dessert.  This year, there is a basketball shoot out on Will's Little Tike goal and Wallace wins one round, but Caleb wins another. There's wrestling and Will running and jumping and spinning.

And we all laugh as Will commands the attention and goes from room to room, because he is at that age where he is just fun to watch.  Give him attention, and he turns on.

Papaw retires for a nap and we retreat across the yard before it's time to go to Mom and Dad's. 

I'm thankful that my family is here, close, and that we can fit them all in. Caleb is surrounded by love and I'm reminded, yet again, how marriage is about two becoming one and that includes family. 

And my heart overflows as I sit in Mom's living room.  It's crowded, as always, and we pile on one another to watch football and laugh. I don't know that there is one argument over which football team was better, but there was a little bit of teasing about Landry's hair and there may or may have not been some napping by Grandpa in the recliner.

The guitar was played in Dad's office and Lily colored masterpieces of butterflies.

Dana called us all into the living room and read aloud Psalm 100.

"Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands. ² Serve the Lord with gladness: come before his presence with singing.³ Know ye that the Lord he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. ⁴ Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name. ⁵ For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations."

The Lord is good.  His mercy is everlasting.  And there, with all four generations gathered, is His truth, His faithfulness.

Dad prayed a Grandma Na prayer and I may or may not have teared up then, thinking of His goodness and His love and His truth, because He is all of those things. I can hear her in my head, even the tone of her voice. 

His truth endures...

Trusting in His truth and love and mercy is something that I've been taught.

I've lived it, this year. I think we all have.  Some days, I almost forget.  Almost.

And then it hits again, but instead of being sad I think of her in Heaven with her Mom and Dad and all of her siblings.

Truth enduring to generations...

And we settled in to dirt cake and apple dumplings, and watched quietly as Chelsey fed Braylee her sweet potatoes.  Brayt had Lily in his lap and there we were, all the grandkids present piled in Dad's office. 

"Quiet in here, " Dana said...

I think maybe we were in awe because life keeps going and we just have to keep living, keep on being thankful for those people around us, for the goodness we see on a daily basis. And the little girl following everyone's food with her eyes is proof of that life...

One by one we trickle out, off to Black Friday madness and wherever.

Braylee gets tired and starts crying.  She's got a temper, that little one, and I couldn't help but laugh as she got started. Loudly, she protested.

Papaw Jr. just grinned that grin that I love so good. "Little Naomi.  She's throwing one of those Na fits. I know all about those."

And I'm sure he does.

Tonight, I'm so thankful.  I'm thankful for love and family and God's truth, for butterfly drawings and little girls with silky hair and grown boys who still love video games and for napping Dads and Grandpas and football and basketball girls.  I'm thankful for evenings on my couch and books and bubble baths and freedom.

Mostly, I'm thankful that His love endures throughout the generations, so that I can have the hope that Grandma lived.

That her Mom and Dad lived.. and the generations before them.
 
I'm reminded of the two verses I read this morning.

Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all of His benefits- Psalm 103:2

I could list them all day long...

 Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, His love endures forever- Psalm 118

His love endures.  He is good. 

Thank you is never enough.

Hope you and yours had a happy Thanksgiving... and may we make it a habit of practicing Thanksliving every day.