A Time to be Thankful

Today I've been itching to cook. I'm stressed. Eating is what I normally do but for some reason I'm not wanting to eat a lot. I want to cook. (And not cooking is stressing me out.) I want to make a big sensational Thanksgiving meal. I want to make all kinds of desserts. I want a meal with so much to choose from that you have no choice but to go back for seconds in order to try everything that's out. I want the house decorated for fall and kids playing football in the yard. I want my family together to celebrate the blessings that we have been given this year.

Today we heard that Nancy's cancer is Stage 3c. It was tough news to hear. But, the surgeon is confident that he got 99.9% of things. Lord willing, the chemo will remove any stray cells. I'm thankful that he is good at his job and Nancy is doing well. And even though it's not the way we would like, I am thankful that God is allowing us to love on Nancy. We are giving back to her what she selflessly gives to all of us daily.

Today Daniel went under the knife to have his gall bladder removed. And I am thankful he had a skilled surgeon as well. We had a wonderful woman come take care of the children while we could not and she blessed us immensely with her kindness and love of our family. Our family has been covered with prayers for the past month and that has carried us through the hard times. For that I am beyond words.

This year we have so much to celebrate and so much to be thankful for. So for me, as we walk through the storm, I want so badly to celebrate the blessings that have been bestowed upon us. In fact, I'm itching to get started right now. My head will not stop sorting through different recipes and ideas. It's down right distracting. So if you are praying for the family, pray that we can enjoy Thanksgiving together. This new storm that surrounds us is tough and scary. It's hard to take in and process. So I'm praying that we can get together and celebrate in spite of this new challenge.

Our original plan was to get together at Grandmomma's house. Now we may not be able to do that since traveling may not be in Daniel and Nancy's best interests. But in the end, it's not the place that we celebrate. It's the people that we celebrate with. The love that binds our family is strong and illness can not hold that back. It's time to rejoice and be thankful that we are together and strong. And there is no better way to celebrate than a big Thanksgiving feast. And that gets back to my original thought. I'm ready to cook and I'm ready to celebrate this season of Thanksgiving.