Thanksgiving and Lessons in Gratitude

Our Thanksgiving Pie Spread

Thanksgiving is officially Nathan's holiday.  He looks forward to it all year because he can cook without restraint. Here is his Thanksgiving by the numbers:

One HUGE pot of garlic/cream cheese/butter mashed potatoes- enough to serve 30 people

Two perfectly brined and roasted turkeys

Two large pans of sweet potatoes

Two large jars of homemade cranberry sauce with fresh cranberries, oranges, and ginger root

Ten perfect pies: Strawberry Rhubarb (Matthew's favorite! He licked the spoon when the filling was made and sighed contentedly, "Oh man! That's GOOD!"), Peanut Butter Cream, Paradise Isle, Coconut Cream (with fresh coconut grated and fried in its own oil- heavenly!), Cherry (with fresh cherries), Pumpkin Chiffon (what fluffy goodness ), Butterscotch Cream, French Silk (this was gone first- the dark chocolate was so delicious!), Banana Cream, and Lemon Meringue.

Our friends brought the rest of the dishes for the feast.

We were surrounded with 25 friends to share the feast and laugh and play. After feasting on delicious food, we played games for a few hours while our bodies made room for pie. (One of our friends is a professional actress and screenwriter- she was so fun to play games with because she played her game character well and wowed us all with her great ability to speak in any accent.)

We gave each guest several paper leaves to add to our Gratitude Tree. They wrote what they were thankful for before taping in on our wall. 

The Gratitude Tree is watched over by Lexie, our Elf on the Shelf.

I felt such a deep sense of gratitude this year for all the 'little blessings' we often take for granted. 

Earlier this month I felt such sadness as I listened to my children's prayers. The prayers were rushed and mostly thoughtless, filled with requests for blessings but often devoid of gratitude. Sometimes they even forgot to thank the Lord for the food we were about to eat! I was so disappointed. 

My remedy was a Family Home Evening lesson on gratitude. I asked the question: What if you woke up today and had ONLY the things you thanked the Lord for yesterday in your prayers?

The children sat in shocked silence and thought. I whipped out a whiteboard and asked the children to please share a list of what they would truly miss if it was gone. 

This is what they were thankful for:

Bed, pillow and blankets so we can be warm and comfortable at night

Food so we won't be pained with hunger

A house to shelter us from the rain or cold and keep us safe

Animals that bring joy to our lives

The gospel of Jesus Christ so we know where we are from, why we are here, and where we are going

Extended family who love and encourage us

Dad's job so we can provide for our needs

Healthy bodies so we can enjoy being alive

Beautiful trees to climb on our property

Books to read and learn from

The alphabet so we can communicate and read

Running water in our home so we don't have to haul it from a river

CLEAN water so we don't get sick

Electricity so we have light at night

Medicine to help us heal

Musical instruments so we can feel joy as we create music together

Friends and neighbors who love us

Our fall decor

Our prayers have really changed since that night. The children are so much more thoughtful in expressing gratitude to the Lord. 

I feel so humbled when I contemplate the countless ways we are blessed and watched over. My heart pains at the injustice of the world when I see families in abject poverty scraping a living in third-world countries. My heart is full of desire to help them feel the beauty of being alive, but I'm not quite sure how to do it sometimes. 

I've been looking for ways to share our blessings with others and help make the world a joyful place for a suffering soul. I'd love to know your suggestions.