Thanksgiving

When I consider the concept of Thanksgiving this year my mind jumps to how far Henry has come in six months, and in an odd way it seems to dwarf anything that I could possibly hold up as a point of Thanksgiving and blessing in my own life. Consider the millions of orphans around the world, and consider that around 40% of Chinese babies die in the orphanage, and cosider that every 2.2 seconds an orphan ages out of the system with no where to go, and consider that around 9 in 10 end up in drug, sex or human traficking. This is what Henry has escaped.

More important to our personal situations than statistics, though, is that his life situation is really representative of mine and ours. Honestly, in the grand scheme of things, what have we got? Some temporary possessions and relationships, sure, but without someone to rescue us out of certain death and despair, we're lost. The beauty is this: Jesus has come, and we all have something for which to be thankful.

Often when I'm praying with the kids, I thank the LORD for our warm house and good food and warm clothes. It's my effort to train them how to pray and to name tangible things that they can recognize. However, to simply focus on these things on a day dedicated for Thanksgiving misses the point, I believe. When giving thanks, don't ignore the big picture. Kind of like missing the forest for the trees.

Ella tried to fingerprint the lens

The following photo is special when my family considers how many individuals from across at least four generations have sat in this very high chair.We're continuing to enjoy Grandpa Dave and Auntie Haley. They went out early this morning for some Black Friday experience, and this evening Jenn and Haley took off for some girl-time shopping. Fun family times, we're having. After putting the twins to bed, Lincoln enjoyed a movie night with the guys, as we finished watching another round of Cars 2. It's been a fun evening of good, non-crying playtime, conversation, movies and rest. Sounds good for a Thanksgiving weekend.