Happy Thanksgiving, y’all! Whether you are with family, extended family, alone or at work, I wish you many blessings today. The God of the universe sees you and cares about you. Yes, you.
The past year or two have been hard. And that’s an understatement. So give grace today…for yourself, and your loved ones.
If you don’t make the mashed potatoes with lumps, or into the tots like they want, it’s okay. Remember what is truly important today. (I am preaching to myself.).
If you need an inhale/exhale exercise, here you go. We all may need this today, right? It is from Psalm 107:1:
Inhale: Oh give thanks to the Lord, for He is good,
Exhale: for his steadfast love endures forever!
God Bless you all and have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
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I know, I know. I am already thinking ahead to Thanksgiving. But if we want to prepare, I guess we do need to be thinking about it already, right? But with all of the things happening in our world right now, you may be scratching your head, wondering how to enjoy Thanksgiving this year. I am here to assure you that you can have an untraditional, yet memorable and meaningful holiday. Some people love traditions and don’t want to break them by doing something out of the ordinary, especially on a day like Thanksgiving. However, I am here to tell you that breaking tradition isn’t always such a bad thing.
Last year, during the height of the pandemic, my family and I were still living in our RV. Both sets of parents were staying close to home, so we decided to try something new as a family of four. We ventured off to Lakewood Camping Resort in Myrtle Beach, SC. We ordered a meal from Cracker Barrel, ate on paper plates and enjoyed the beach. I had NO cooking, NO dishes, and NO cleaning and preparing for guests. And let me just tell you, it was relaxing! Now I’m not going to lie. It wasn’t my father-in-love’s cooking, okay? There isn’t much better food than that. But for an RV Thanksgiving, it worked!
If you love to cook, clean and host, then go for it! You may be longing for some family time after the rough year we’ve had. And if you can see family, DO it! But if you feel like you may need a break this year, it’s okay to try something different! Does NO cooking sound wonderful to you? How about ordering the meal from a local restaurant? This way you are not only giving yourself more time with your loved ones, but you are also supporting these businesses which have had a tough year.
Does the thought of washing dishes after the meal fill you with dread? It is OKAY to use Chinette. I promise! Does the thought of camping or going to stay in a different place sound a bit dreamy? Then look up places you want to see, and book the trip.
Last year’s Thanksgiving for us was very untraditional, yes. We did miss spending time with our extended family. Family time is absolutely precious to us and we do not take it for granted. But when the pandemic happened and that wasn’t an option for us we had to get creative. We were very intentional on making Thanksgiving special regardless of our circumstances. My children will never forget eating Thanksgiving dinner in the RV, and then walking over to the beach on the same day. I got to spend more time with my immediate family by not spending the day cooking and cleaning. We turned what could have been a very sad holiday into an untraditional, yet memorable one. And you know you can have it both ways. Why not invite your extended family to hang out with you and order a meal with you this year? Or meet up at the beach! That may be the best of both worlds! Last year, we all missed our parents, siblings and extended family members. My kids expressed how much they missed their grandparents and playing with cousins. But we made the best of it by trying something new. If you cannot be with loved ones this Thanksgiving, I hope this encourages you to make it special anyway!
Wishing you and your loved ones a very happy Thanksgiving!
I Chronicles 16:34 says, “Oh give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; for His steadfast love endures forever!”
Come see what my family is up to in the holy city on Instagram @MomaboutCharleston!
Mom About Charleston 