It was a frigid, icy, snowy morning. We knew it would be like this, so my sisters and I got up early to check the weather and decide if they wanted to attempt to make the hour and some drive to celebrate Thanksgiving today, or postpone. They decided to go for it. For the past many years, my son and I celebrated Thanksgiving with my other son’s wife’s family. We all had our regular dishes to bring to contribute to the meal. My daughter-in-law’s mother would always make the turkey, so it has been a long time since I have done it. This year I found a recipe that I wanted to try, and everyone was coming here, so I volunteered to make the turkey. My younger sister arrived just in time as I was preparing the turkey to get it into the oven so she gave me a hand. Turns out the recipe was one that she wanted to try, so she had fun shoving the herbed butter under the skin. My other sister and her son arrived safely a little while later. This was one of the first times that my nephew drove on icy conditions and he did a great job. One of my brothers called to video chat just as we were starting to eat. My dad fixed a spot for the tablet so he could see everyone and we talked while we ate. He showed us his old cockatiel who was still chirping away and his huge aquarium with the large fish that he has been nurturing. Then he headed over to a friend’s house to have his own meal. My other brother is out on the road living his dream. He is currently at an RV park in the South. They had a potluck Thanksgiving celebration there, so he made his sauteed green beans and joined the festivity. He sent some pictures and we also were able to video chat a bit until the internet was too sporadic to tolerate. I got pictures of my new granddaughter and thought of everyone there. The day was filled with a lot of laughter, food, and relaxation. I was especially grateful for the well being of my parents, safe travels, seeing my son and his cousin enjoy each other’s company, the perfectly cooked turkey, lots of great food, and the close relationships of my family.

I Found God today in celebrating Thanksgiving with my family in many different ways.