In just a few short days, many of us will be gathering around a table laden with lots of delicious food, laughing and chatting, reminiscing with family and friends. We'll say grace, eat too much, watch football, nap, relax and enjoy a day of Thanksgiving.
Minus the football, mine will be much the same. I'll see an aunt I've not seen in a few years. My mother is overjoyed to have her sister with her for at least one holiday. She'll be sad that some family members can't make it this year, and I'll try to drag her back to realizing the blessing of what she has now--all the while finishing up the cooking, making plates for the Hubby and his two co workers, and send him out the door to his job after eating a bit.
Many times I wish for the huge family gatherings and I grow misty eyed when I watch old Walton's reruns, especially the Christmas and Thanksgiving episodes.But reality sets in and these days I'm more thankful when the get togethers are small around us. J is not at his best in crowds. He gets quite anxious, truthfully, and it takes him awhile to warm up to people he doesn't see often. Too much noise and activity can send him into a nasty meltdown because he doesn't have the words to say"Enough. I need quiet. I need space."
Looking at my life, I don't live a typical one, if there is any such thing. I am a homemaker, albeit a struggling one. My husband works at a job where his hours are 4pm to 12 am and his weekend is Tuesday and Wednesday. Our son has autism and a few other diagnoses that tag along for the ride. He's nonverbal but in most cases manages to communicate what he wants or needs. There are nights that no one gets to bed before three in the morning because J is wide awake and thrilled to be so.
My house is almost never spotless. In fact, on most days if you come in you're likely to find things scattered on the floor, a child scurrying to find clothes to put on because he has gone through just about everything in his closet (in one day, mind you, never mind the reason why) and two cats rushing out of his way. The dishes and the laundry are multiplying. Someone online or on the phone needs my attention at the same time the Hubs asks where his work shirt is and all the while my mind is racing with projects, budgets, and schedules. Oh my!
But you know what? No matter how much I want to tear my hair out or how much I complain, and sometimes need a break from it all, I love it. This is my crazy, wild, chaotic life and I love it. I'm so thankful for all of it, to be honest. Maybe not all the time, but I do enjoy it about 95% of the time. Give or take. I am grateful for chaos J brings to my life because he fills my heart with love. I am thankful he's no longer on behavior medicine because even though he's more wound up during the day, more of him shines through. He's more apt to give hugs, more apt to interact with me.
I'm thankful for a roof over my head, my husband's job, a car that runs, all of that. But I'm especially thankful to God for the family he has given me, and this includes those adopted and grafted into my life from all different directions. Some I wish I could see and hug again, others I wish I could meet just once but family they are indeed. And last but certainly not least, I'm thankful to you who reads this blog and encourages me with your messages.
Happy Thanksgiving to you all. What are you grateful for today? I'd love to hear from you.
This post is linked to Heavenly Homemakers. Join us for Gratituesday at Heavenly Homemakers!
Good morning! It is indeed a Monday morning and started out at an hour than can only be described as "O Are You Kidding Me?" A.M. Yes ladies, the laziness (!!) of the holiday is over and we are back to "normal."
The hubs has first shift at work this morning, and he was not the only one awake at that early hour. I heard not only the alarm but also the voice in the next room, singing happily and assuring me that he was not about to drift back off into dreamland any time too soon. No, dear J was on a mission and his mission was food! So, food he got. The furballs also thought early morning was a great feeding time so they got an early breakfast as well. J was presented with boiled eggs, the easiest thing I can think of without resorting to "Let him eat cake!" That will not happen on my watch. Things can get quite ugly when J is coming off of a sugar high. That tends to regress into meltdowns and we don't need those at any time, much less very early in the morning.
J wasn't too thrilled with boiled eggs first thing in the morning. He held one aloft and proclaimed "food!" Yes son, boiled eggs are indeed food. Mommy's brain is mush at the moment despite being a morning person. Definition of morning: the sun must be up. Otherwise it is still night time to my brain.
At any rate, I'm sure you didn't come here to read the breakfast menu. I hope you had a great Thanksgiving weekend. The thankfulness is still there, and I hope I remember to be thankful everyday, not just on or near a specified holiday. We were blessed to spend Thanksgiving with my mother and brother, and then a few days later, we had Thanksgiving with my mother in law, sister in law, and her husband's family. It was good to enjoy the time together.
My sisters both have their Christmas trees up already. I haven't gotten that far yet. In fact, there are no decorations up yet, but within the next two weeks I hope to have that remedied. This week I need to be cleaning and organizing, maybe making a few cards. I like making my own Christmas cards, but I just haven't had the time or energy to do much of that, although I did make a few on Thanksgiving while my family napped. This year only a few people will get the handmade cards, and all others on my list will get a regular Christmas card. All will be sent with love, though.
What about you? Are you ready for the Christmas /holiday season? Have you begun shopping? Are you already done? Or do you make your gifts? I think a lot of ours will be handmade this year. I adore gifts that take some thought and time.
What does your week look like? Are you excited for the next few weeks, or are you ready to scream in horror? I'm sort of in the middle, myself. There is so much that needs to get done and things I want to get done. The one thing I have a hold on is Christmas day itself. Christmas falls on a Sunday this year and my husband actually has the day off!!! I'm very excited about that, although truth be told I'm holding my breath, half expecting a schedule change at hubby's work. I pray that doesn't happen.
My mother wants a ham for Christmas dinner, so that makes the menu fairly easy. Cooking is also easier. She can handle that one, and if she decides to go to worship with my brother that day, the ham will be fine until they get home. I will spend a day before hand cooking most of the side dishes and desserts at her house, and on Christmas day my husband, son and I will worship with the church at Statesboro and then go to my mom's house. We will have dinner and then the rest of the festivities, or the other way around, depending on the rest of the family. That's the plan, anyway.
I hope you have a wonderful day.
I use my blog as a place to study the bible, to lay out my thoughts on things such as modesty, to discuss autism in a young adult. I know because of my views I sound hard hearted and prissy. It's not meant to be that way because I have love for all. I just don't have love for sin and my frustration comes out in my writing.
Right now, however, I'd like to focus on something more positive : blessings and prayers.
Praise: A young man from another country who became a Christian has gotten his visa and will soon be studying here in the United States. In his own country he could be killed for his beliefs. I am very, very thankful that he has the opportunity to come here even though I may never meet him.
Praise: It's a beautiful day here, and we have the opportunity to learn more about God and how he wants us to live; to be an example to others.
Prayer: My young nephew has been dealing with stomach pain and other ailments for a little while now. Today he is having ultrasound done to see if they can find what is going on. He's 11. My prayer is that God will guide the hand of the physician and the techs, and they can find the problem and fix it. For my boy Alex I pray that the ultrasound and any other tests they do are bearable for him and that he feels better soon.
Prayer: Irene hasn't struck yet but there has already been much talk about her, where she's going to land and what destruction may follow. My prayer is that her path can be determined for sure before she hits and that people stay safe and damage is minimal.
If you have prayers or praise please feel free to add them in the comments.
