I felt so blessed on Thanksgiving this year and had so much to be grateful for. As soon as I awoke, friends and family started sharing messages of gratitude. I decided to go to Mass in the morning. It was such a beautiful way to start the day. There was a bell choir directed and accompanied by a violinist who was also playing the dulcimer before the celebration started. I sat very close to the choir so I could take it all in. There were 2 songs of gratitude that I really enjoyed singing along with – “For the Beauty of the Earth” and “For the Fruits of His Creation”. Both songs list the blessings that God bestows on humanity and thank Him for them. The scripture readings also reflected gratefulness to God as did the homily. The priest recommended that families pass around a ketchup bottle at dinner so everyone can “catch up” on things to be thankful for over the past year. It was a cute idea. He also blessed thanksgiving food that people brought. After Mass, I went home and my sister and I got things ready to bring to my son’s house. I made some sweet potatoes with mini marshmallows on top. One of my neighbors volunteered for a local Christian organization who hosted a Thanksgiving Dinner several days ago. There was extra pumpkin pie and they gave me one. I put it in the freezer for a couple days to make sure it would still be good. It was still delicious. My sister made a charcuterie board including delicious cheeses that I brought home from Wisconsin. When we arrived at my son’s house, his wife had already put the turkey in the oven. The table was set with the personalized placemats that my granddaughter, her mom, and I made the other day. While we were waiting for the turkey to cook, we made some pour paint ornaments. My sister brought some plain glass ornaments that she had saved. My daughter in law gave us a tutorial on how to do pour paint art and then demonstrated the technique. It was very fun. My other son and his wife joined us just in time to finish preparing the rest of the meal. Then my grandson called who has moved to another state. He was alone for Thanksgiving and told us that after he finished eating his mac and cheese, a neighbor came to the door with turkey dinner. Everyone was so grateful for their generosity. My daughter in law did start crying during the call. Our meal was delicious. Starting the day off with God and gratitude, and ending the day with family, fun, and food made for a blessed Thanksgiving day.

I Found God today with much to be grateful for.