THANKSgiving

Hey, guys! Ok, so Thanksgiving is officially over. Whew. And by officially, I mean that OUR Thanksgiving is done. Here in Romania they don't have Thanksgiving (if you don't know why, then think back to your middle school days and read this). Village churches usually set aside a service for thanking God for the harvest, but they don't have an official day, nor is it a national holiday.

Anyway, moving on.

My family celebrated on Saturday instead of Thursday because, again, Thanksgiving isn't a Romanian holiday, so they don't have the day off. It was interesting trying to explain about how we choose the day to celebrate (third Thursday of the month) and what are the essential foods. Honestly, I think they think we're kind of weird for not setting a specific day, like the 25th or something, but they thought the food was pretty amazing. And it was. In years past we have made dishes that require American ingredients, which we import. But this year we managed to make almost all the dishes without them. The only things we can't find here are pistachio pudding and pecans. It's pretty neat seeing more and more "common" ingredients showing up in stores. (That was another topic of crazy dinner table conversation.)

We spent two days prepping and it all paid off. 24 of us in all were packed into our house, two tables for the "young people" downstairs in the kitchen and one upstairs for the "old" people. :) I.E.- the lightweights sat at our table. It was pretty funny to hear everyone groaning in agony as they stared down at their half-full plates. The turkey and potatoes were pretty popular, but the dish that disappeared and won hands down was the pecan pie. It really is too bad that they don't have that nut here. But then again, I think we would have a weight gain epidemic. Did you know that there are enough calories in a pecan pie to equal a whole meal?! Sheesh. It's a good thing Thanksgiving only comes once a year.

After dinner, everyone gathered in the kitchen to share something they were thankful for. There were so many good reasons, but my family seemed kind of stuck on one thing- having Alyssa and I back. I admit, that was the first time in a long time I felt wanted. Not just surface wanted, but deeply wanted. Yes, I know that all of my church family and friends in America wanted me, but it's not the same. Family is... family.

Ok, I'm about to contradict myself. I admit, the thing that I said I was thankful for was friends. And it's true. This last year I had been living with my friends. They were my family. So many times when I felt lonely or sad, they were there to lift me back up. The Grace Chapel Singles' Group, especially. It seemed like I could walk in that room and no matter what kind of day I had, they would make me laugh. Another group would be the Hopper family. They have always been my second family- quick to love, gentle to reprove. The Gelatts, too, took me in and helped me grow in many ways. But there are so very many others that I am thankful for that I can't even list them all. So, to my Grace Chapel family- thank you. I would have never made it through the last two years without you. I pray that God blesses you with a million blessings.

Oh, and guys- don't say "Happy Turkey Day". It's not about the turkey. It's about giving thanks to God. That's why it's called Thanksgiving.

:) GB (God bless.)