Rewritten

I've written this post in my head at least 3 different ways during the last several days. My Thanksgiving has encompassed a full gamut of emotions, to say the least....

For the first time ever, I hosted a Thanksgiving dinner. My mother-in-law was not feeling up to it, so I offered to have my husband's family over to celebrate the holiday. Much to my own surprise, I ended up loving every minute of it. My husband deep-fried 2 birds which was quite a relief to me. I enjoyed watching him research it all out, looking up recipes & techniques. The kids also enjoyed it tremendously. Seth named his turkey, "Rock Star" and Jenna named hers, "Sparkles." Don't ask... I don't get it either :-) I hope to never erase in my mind the picture of all my kids gathered around 2 naked birds in my kitchen, each taking turns injecting them with butter using a honking-huge syringe. They LOVED it. We tend to turn everything into a learning experience and this was no exception.

I had the distinct impression that this holiday was especially important for my family. I could just tell that something was being knitted together in us as we worked side by side, preparing a mega-feast for our extended family to enjoy. Suddenly, we've turned a corner. My kids are of the ages now, that it's no longer "mom & dad doing all the work while the kids run off and play." They are old enough to really help. They worked HARD (seriously), helping make the house and food ready for the big Turkey day. It really was a team effort.

I cannot express how much joy this brought me. It's not just about me "finally getting some help." It's much more about us enjoying life together, making memories together, learning from one another, and building family relationships. I want them to have fond memories of making holiday preparations together, knowing that their contributions to that effort mattered. Each one of them brings a special dimension to our family that no one else can duplicate. I had a deep sense that we were "building" something very important and foundational, something that our kids would always want to come back to and be a part of.

The dinner itself was a huge success. I learned many things about cooking, including some definite "what NOT to do's." All of my guest brought a dish, and there literally was enough food to feed an army (or the Massasoit Tribe). It has taken many, many years, but I finally realized that it's not about the "perfection' of it all... it's about the "heart" of it all. My house wasn't perfectly clean (I didn't even mop my floor!) and the food wasn't all perfectly hot, but we all enjoyed each other's company and shared stories and laughter. I was (FOR ONCE) perfectly content with that!

After the official Thanksgiving Day, I was able to spend some time with my (the Brister) side of the family. I had the rather rare opportunity to spend some time with my younger sister and my dad. We were driving to the store together and I sat in the back seat, listening to my dad tell some stories about his father. It's amazing how my quiet and reserved father loves to tell stories about his family's history. Anyhow, I found out that my dad's dad's mom (a.k.a. my great-grandma) was under a lot of pressure to get an abortion when she found out she was pregnant with my grandpa. Her husband (my great-great grandpa) had Tuberculosis and was in a Sanitarium. My great-grandma had nothing and this was during the Great Depression. Her 2 sisters were pushing hard for her to abort the baby, saying there was no way she would make it with no husband and no job. My great-grandma refused and miraculously got a job as a house handmaid for some people. My great-grandpa eventually improved and got to come back home and they had three more children together.

I was literally awe-struck by this story. What if she'd done it? What if she'd given in to hopelessness? What if she had no faith? My grandpa would've been killed in utero, my dad wouldn't exist, and neither would I? Our entire family history could have been rewritten. I was overcome with thanksgiving in realizing that God has had His hand on our family for a very, very long time. It gave me a new appreciation for my great-grandma, "Ma." It must've been hard for her to stand up to her sisters, not knowing what would become of her or her baby. I had the privilege of knowing my Ma Brister, since she passed away only a few years ago. This whole story gave me some sort of new courage... to do what's right in God's eyes no matter what, knowing the He is my Hope and realizing that my decisions will affect the generations that follow. We are writting history..right here and right now. I want to be that "Ma" that courageously obeys the Lord in the midst of major uncertainty. That's the legacy that I want to leave.

I must say, I'm so thankful this year for a multitude of things...