Thanksgiving 2012

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays because it is so joyful and exciting yet low-key and relaxing. I joined the Moores here in Portland for Thanksgiving dinner at their home. It was lovely. All of their kids (my cousins) were there, as well as Thanne’s parents from Florida, two of our friends from Texas (Holly and Lindsey), and Madison’s boss and his wife.

 

We actually started the day by driving up to Vancouver, WA to run the Turkey Trot which benefits the Clark Country Food Bank. Madison and I kept pace with each other (aka I slowed my pace down for the poor guy) and ran the 5k in a swift 23:38, finishing in the top 50. I even the old guy run ahead of me at the very end in hopes of not destroying his macho image. The whole crew had a great time with this fun run and earned our second servings of turkey and pumpkin pie!

 

As mentioned in my previous post, the Moores have an inspiring tradition of calling someone whom you are Thankful that week and then sharing your story at the dinner table. I loved hearing who each person called, how that person impacted their life and what that simple yet thoughtful phone call meant to the recipient. We heard stories of friends who were there during difficult times, moms who were a support to high school athletes, neighbors who were caring, and more. I called my elementary school reading teacher, Mr. Patton, who was a part of my life from 2nd through 5th grade. I was able to thank him for making such a positive impact on my life and for helping me grow intellectually at such a young age. It was so wonderful to reconnect!

 

The best part about Thanksgiving is that it’s on a Thursday, which means even after the fun day is over you still have Friday, Saturday, and Sunday to relax and enjoy being with family and friends. Friday evening Megan, her roommate Sarah and I went to the Portland Christmas tree lighting downtown. It was quite cold and rainy, but we still had a festive time singing Christmas carols in Pioneer Square despite the wet weather.

 

 

Saturday was full of watching football at the Moores. Well, all of the guys watched football (Oregon, Baylor, Florida) while I played with my friend Mike’s 6-month-old girl, Eleanor. Look at that cute little chunk!

 

 

Cooper is giving Eleanor a friendly greeting here, not biting her... I swear!

 

The weekend wrapped up with Christmas light hanging and wine tasting. We really did it all this weekend! And now we enter into the Advent season and the anticipation of Christmas…

Thankfulness

"Be thankful for the smallest blessing, and you will receive greater. Value the least gifts no less than the greatest, and simple graces as special favors. If you remember the dignity of the giver, no gift will seem small, for nothing can be valueless that is given by the most high God."

- Thomas a' Kempis

"Thanksgiving in its deepest sense means to live life as a gift to be received with deep gratitude. True gratitude embraces all of life; the good and the bad, the joyful and the painful, the holy and not-so-holy. We do this because we become aware of God's life, and God's presence in the middle of all that happens in our lives."

- Henri Nouwen