Pilgrims and Indians give thanks

Happy Thanksgiving! This is one of our favorite holidays: pretty low key with focus on thankfulness and family. And who doesn't love a few little Indians and Pilgrims? The kids had these really great costumes from their Thanksgiving skits at school. So fun!

This past year has been one of the most challenging of our lives, for sure. Last Thanksgiving we told the kids that we were having a baby. We didn't know yet that it was two babies! Jay's dad actually kept joking last Thanksgiving about us having twins and we told him to be quiet because he was worrying Jay. One year ago I had no idea what was in store for us.

This year I am extremely thankful for God's faithfulness to us. He has walked with us closely throughout our time of pregnancy and newborns. Not that He wasn't before then, but we have learned to trust Him more and how much we really do need Him. A lot of this year has been humbling to me, a breaking of my self-dependence and pride.

God has also really shown us how it looks and works for a community of believers to help one another. Like the Pilgrims and Indians (at least the nice, friendly ones we teach the kids about) we have things to offer one another and ways to help each other. I can't name all the ways that others have helped us this year, and I'm thankful that I'm now getting back on my feet enough to be able to help others as well. Helping with meals, chores at home, children, phone calls, cards, and more--It has been so encouraging and refreshing to see how God provides through his people.

We hope you have a happy Thanksgiving, filled with gratitude to the One who is the giver of all good gifts and is always faithful to us.

"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

"Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation. Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song. For the Lord is the great God, the great Kind above all gods." Psalm 95: 1-3

"God our Father, God our Father, we thank you, we thank you. For our many blessings, for our many blessings, Amen, Amen" (Anna's favorite blessing--because it says "thank you" even when she refused to say thank you for 6 months)