My morning started out with a whole group of us watching the Macy's Thanksgiving day parade on TV. I watch the parade almost yearly at home and it was nice to continue this tradition with new friends. The only weird thing about watching the parade was the fact that it wasn't live due to the time difference. We pretty much watched the whole thing and laughed over the bad lip syncing, cheesy floats, and the couple of total mess ups on national television! It also was cool because all my Canadian friends have never celebrated an American Thanksgiving and we got to explain all the ins and outs of this holiday to them.
The base fed us a delicious brunch that consisted of casserole, sausage, fruit, and juice! We NEVER get breakfast food that nice so it was awesome to have a little taste of home in the morning. How Thanksgiving works at YWAM is that the permanent staff that live in houses on base invited all the students over for a meal and fellowship time. They want to make sure that we all have the "homey" experience on the holidays. One of my fellow DTS students, Millie is from Kalispell, so she invited ten of us to her house to spend the day with her family. It was so nice to spend the day off base and be in a home with a family to celebrate the holiday.
We spent the afternoon playing games, singing worship music, going on a walk, and just spending quality fellowship time with each other. Her parents welcomed all of us with open arms and made us feel quite at home. Her mom cooked an amazing meal and I left so stuffed I could barely walk! We had turkey, ham, green bean casserole, stuffing, mashed potato's, corn casserole, cranberry sauce, rolls, and pie for dessert. I don't think I've eaten that much food in quite a long time! I also got to spend the day playing with her two HUGE dogs, Hudson and Bear. It made me miss my sweet puppy dogs but it was nice to have some loving from other dogs.
Thanksgiving is a holiday filled with fun, food, and family but it is also so much more than that. I was reflecting on the past year and just remembering all that God has blessed me with. He is such a faithful and loving God and as I reflected, I could just see the many times where I had lost hope and yet He still provided in ways that blew me away. I am so thankful for my parents who have been there through the good and bad times and just continue to love me with their whole hearts and encourage me to chase after Jesus. I am thankful for my little brother who brings such laughter into my life. I am thankful for YWAM, new friendships, and this new season of my life. I am thankful for my job and the fact that I get to love on and care for two of the most precious boys ever. I am thankful for an amazing church and the friendships that have come from that special place. I am the most thankful for Jesus and the price He paid for me on the cross and that I get to spend the rest of my life serving Him and walking in a relationship with Him!
As the holiday has come and gone, I encourage you all to not just have a heart of thankfulness on Thanksgiving but daily give thanks to God for all He has done in your life. Personally, I have found that if I daily have an attitude of thankfulness the stresses and bad days of life become a lot less important and overwhelming.
"Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise; give thanks to Him and praise His name. For the Lord is good and His love endures forever; His faithfulness continues through all generations." ~Psalm 100:4-5~
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