by Sharon O | Nov 28, 2017 | Uncategorized
Through storms, give thanks
November 21, 2017
This post was written last November as we explored the act of giving thanks.
Sharon Osterhoudt wrote such eloquent and encouraging words on giving thanks in the storms of our lives (could we even add in the busyness in our lives?).
We thought it would be a great post to revisit in this week of thanks.
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The other day, as I looked outside, I noticed the wind blustery and pounding with rain pouring down in many directions, as the darkened clouds cracked the skies with thunderous roars. Watching it inside a warm home, listening to the roar of the wet as it fell onto the brown grass, I was giving thanks.
God gives us examples every day of letting go and remaining steadfast. The force of the wind gave the trees no choice but to let go of the remaining leaves that once held on, transforming the limbs to empty, barren sticks. The moment left me in awe of how we “have to let go” just as that tree limb to its leaves. Life’s forces slap us from one side to the other at times and we have no choice but to let go, and release our grip to what was familiar.
I was gently reminded of so much that we have to be thankful for. That God gives us tangible lessons to see and observe. That in the letting go we actually receive new, as time permits. In order for the trees to prepare for the growth in the spring, they must let go in the fall. It has to take place.
As I think of this, I am reminded to give thanks for the hard and difficult times for they prepare us to praise Him in the good and peaceful times. In the midst of trials and struggles and questions, He prepares us for the Power of his Glory. Oh, it’s hard to remember to give thanks when we are hit hard with the storms. It is hard to stand strong when the wind hits us and the rains dampen our spirits. But we must always remember, after a storm, often there is a rainbow.
A promise that we can look up and give thanks. We can open our eyes and our hearts to the One who is in control of all things. Some times we remain, shaken, but even in those times we can give thanks. Without the pause and reflection, we lose the sacred moment of the lesson. When life hits really hard, it is good to know God is taking care of us.
“Give thanks, to the Lord Almighty, for the Lord is good; His love endures forever.” Jeremiah 33:11
Sharon Osterhoudt has been married for over 44 years. She has two grown ‘children’ and six grand children.
She and her husband have attended Grace chapel now for over ten years.
by Sharon O | Nov 17, 2017 | Uncategorized
Thanksgiving is a time for giving thanks.
It is also a time for family, friends, food and drinks and most important conversation around the warm fire.
One year we tried a new tradition; before we ate the ‘meal’ we went around the table and said what we are most thankful for.
It keeps the perspective of the day as a posture of being thankful not just eating and watching football.
(which I do not like to do)
I really love the tradition of making memories.
Before we do that we have to return to making lists and figuring out what will be on the table.
Meal preparation can be days before the big meal, this year we already ordered the turkey off the farm.
I feel kind of bad it will be processed a few days before we cook it.
The reality is; it will give it’s life for our table. (hard to think about)
Then what else goes with it? potatoes, gravy, dressing, green beans (no casserole) just fresh beans, relish plate, cranberries made fresh, homemade pumpkin and maybe apple pie with real whipping cream.
Always a glass of wine, coffee and fresh water.
The menu cannot change as the grand children love the traditional meal.
I cook the dressing in a separate baking dish not inside the turkey the way some people do.
This year will be a little different as we will be getting new windows the day before and it might be messy.
I like to dress up a bit, not just jeans and whatever top, the tradition of a festive meal calls out for nice clothing.
Thanksgiving, is a time for slowing down.
Perhaps as we make a list for the meal we also can make a list of who we are thankful for and send out cards.
Mail is a dying way of correspondence now and to receive a hand written letter or card is priceless.
It adds meaning to the special time of year and gives depth in our relationships.
What do you do in anticipating the festive meal?
Let’s take time and remember the real reason we set a day aside for Thanksgiving.
by Sharon O | Nov 15, 2017 | Uncategorized
I mentioned already that we used to have very special traditions around the holidays when we went to our grandparents house.
After my husband and I got married we established new traditions as a couple.
The first mistake we made was to spend our first thanksgiving holiday as a couple with his family.
It created a lot of ‘feelings’ and after that we decided where to spend our time during the holiday seasons.
My family didn’t really do anything on Easter and they always did Christmas on Christmas Eve.
So we set it up that Easter and Christmas day would be his side of the family and Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve for my side.
It worked wonderful when we had children as I was determined to not drag them to different homes with different foods.
Good way to have sick kids and I was not going to do that to any of us.
Now that our children have grown, we still have our traditions only they have changed to adapt to the ‘grandchildren’.
We always have an Easter dinner. That is a tradition and anyone is free to join us.
We always have a big brunch on Christmas morning at some point in time we have had up to over 20 around the table.
I love to use china and pretty glasses, and we have old country rose dishes for Thanksgiving.
Then I purchased Christmas china dishes for brunch.
I love to see a beautiful table with pretty flowers and a fire in the fireplace warming the room.
Traditions for the holidays are so important.
Now that we are writing down a list of important things in our lives, what would your traditions be?
What is negotiable and what is not?
It’s important to know what you need for family and for peace in the holidays.
I am not one to over pressure our ‘grown’ children to be here for the mealtime.
They are making their own traditions and at some point in time my husband and I might be alone.
Restaurants make wonderful meals and if you choose a nicer one the meal can be a real treat.
I challenge you to figure out what your traditions are then do what you can to make that happen.
We can make our holidays full of tension or we can make them very peaceful by deciding what is most important.
It’s really a matter of choice and decisions for each family.
by Sharon O | Nov 12, 2017 | Uncategorized
In our pursuit of giving thanks; it might be helpful to start a list in a notebook or scratch pad that you can carry with you.
Many times thoughts will come to me as I am shopping or writing or cleaning my home.
Write it down. Name it, give it a purpose and meaning.
It is a really easy habit to begin and once you start; it would be easy to exceed the list of one thousand.
I love to be with people who have an attitude of gratitude.
They have a circle of hope all around them and they are positive people to be with.
When you think of giving thanks it is a time for appreciation too.
When someone gives you something, the polite response is to say to them, “Thank you.”
Meaning I appreciate your thoughtfulness, I am in honor of your thought of me.
It makes me feel really special that they went out of their way to do something nice.
It is gratitude, and a posture of receiving.
In the same way; when we begin an attitude of gratitude and apply thankfulness in our hearts we make a choice.
Have you ever done something for someone and a few days later you received a thank you note in the mail?
Remember the surprise at receiving such a lovely hand written note?
That it would matter that much for them to take the time to say, ‘thank you?’
It kind of makes us want to do more.
Not for the notes in the mail but for the goodness that it creates.
I looked up the meaning of Thanksgiving, here is what it said:
the act of giving thanks; grateful acknowledgment of benefits or favors, especially to God.
It doesn’t take much to say Thank you. If we are a believer it is really easy for us.
We can be thankful for every breath we receive, we can be thankful for every one in our lives who we love.
We can be thankful that we live where we have freedoms and choice in fact sometimes too many choices.
We can be thankful that we have medical care should we need it, and doctors who are prepared and trained.
We can be thankful that we have comfortable homes, and reliable cars.
So much of our every day, we can be thankful for and be in the posture of ‘I am so thankful.’
I do believe the first time you have a cold shower; you would so appreciate the hot water when it returns.
Little things, like light fixtures, washing machines and dryers.
There is so much around us on a day to day experience that we can be thankful for.
In our pursuit to create more thanksgiving in our lives, may we learn to integrate it so much that it is natural.
Shall we begin today to make a list and speak it out?
God I am so thankful for… and write it down.
by Sharon O | Nov 9, 2017 | Uncategorized
Our anniversary is over and now we are moving in to the second week of November.
A time for giving thanks.
Anne Voskamp wrote a book that shared how she began to give thanks for everything,.
Everyday, she would name one or two things she was thankful for, heading to one thousand thanks.
In fact her book is called One Thousand Gifts.
When we integrate within ourselves a time for giving thanks, we choose to change our mindset and our heart.
We cannot complain when we are grateful.
We cannot be sad when we are in a state of hopefulness.
We cannot be negative when we choose to look at all the positive.
It becomes a time for giving thanks and living in a thankful place deep inside ourselves.
I love Thanksgiving. I love all that it stands for and the memories that surround me about the day.
Growing up it was always a special event. A day for family.
Our family was not always warm and fuzzy, but we did have traditions and one of them was a Thanksgiving dinner at our grandparent’s house.
We always dressed up and I remember sitting in the bedroom waiting for the curlers to dry.
Remember the old fashioned wire ones with prickly plastic sticking out of them and a plastic poker to keep them in place? Oh I so remember those nasty things when trying to create a curl or two from naturally straight hair.
We always dressed up in our dresses and fancy socks.
It was tradition to dress up and you would never arrive in old casual clothing.
I am thankful for the expectation to make that one day a special one.
A time for giving thanks.
I am not often able to remember good and positive moments when we were growing up.
But I do remember the table in it’s beauty, the food prepared by grandma’s hands and the fine china.
I don’t remember conversation or other parts of the day other than grandma always made a pumpkin pie.
The men would sit in the living room and the girls would be in the kitchen, while grandma cooked.
I pray that each holiday we have in our home our grandchildren will remember with warm fondness.
Our table, our food, our conversation, our warm fires and our pumpkin pie.
One day in the month of November we set aside a time for giving thanks.
A time for gratitude and appreciating all that we have been given.
I pray as we head to this ‘wonderful day’ we remain steadfast in our attitude of thanks.
