Thanksgiving Blessings

The house this morning smells of pies....pumpkin & dutch apple....cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger & cloves. No turkey roasting at our house as Liz is doing it this year. But aromas I relate to Thanksgivings past. Let's see, this is my 57th Thanksgiving. I remember when the stores would go all out and decorate for Thanksgiving. Pictures of Pilgrims & Indians sharing with each other. Respecting each other. A time for Giving Thanks to God. Decorations of Fall Leaves, pumpkins, Indian Corn, gourds. Now it seems that the end of August the Halloween Decorations go up and then the day after Christmas Decorations go up. It's not the same at all. It was a time to gather together with family and friends. I lived in Southern California then with scads of Aunts & Uncles, tons of cousins, shirttail relatives, friends and Thanksgiving was always celebrated with a groaning table of foods we only had a Thanksgiving. I remember the first year I was allowed to set the table! Did you have a "kids" table? The year I turned 13 I moved up to the "adult" table and found out that the kids table was more fun! By the time I was 14 I was helping cook most of the meal. I enjoyed cooking more than my mom did, I think.

In school we learned all about the Pilgrims and how they came to America at great cost so that they could worship God as they wished. They made great sacrifice to do so and life was not easy. Each year we'd have little skits or plays and we'd all make pilgrim hats. Now in school they talk about being Thankful but not being Thankful TO GOD, the provider of all we have.

Of course I am so very grateful and thankful to God for my wonderful family. I come from a family who dearly loved and appreciated each other...my grandparents had great influence in my life...I miss my Mom but am so very thankful for her love and devotion to me and my brothers. My Dad is the best....still loving me, encouraging me and making me laugh. His wife Willa Mae is a delight and the next best thing to having my Mom.

My loving hubby, Mr. Scottie Dog. He's my partner, the love of my life, a real rock in my life. Thirty seven years of marriage and he still lights up my life!

I am so thankful for my wonderful daughters...Beka, pregnant with her 3rd, she makes me proud as she's grown up to be such a lovely woman, a wonderful, caring mother, a woman of principles. Liz, my right hand woman, partner in business so smart it amazes me. My grandchildren delight me, each one is so uniquely lovable.

I'm thankful for my health (especially after 17 horrible days of illness this month), my home, the fact that I am able to live in such an absolutely beautiful place as the Northern CA Redwood coast.

I'm thankful for friends...this year I was able to connect with a group of gals whom I met in kindergarten. We were Blue Birds together and best buddies until we all moved in 7th grade. Some friends come and go, some stay.....I am grateful for the input of all of them.

I am Thankful for my work which seems more like play sometimes. Scottie Dog Quilts is a little store that has introduced me to hundreds, perhaps a thousand of wonderful, creative & artistic people and I get to be a little bit of their lives.

Thank you, Lord for all my blessings. And thank you that they are too numerous to count!

A blessed Thanksgiving to you all!