Kill the Fatted Turkey

Kill the fatted turkey; make some dressing and some gravy. Set out the finest china and decorate the house. My daughter’s coming home for Thanksgiving!

I look forward to Thanksgiving every year because I love a day where we get to eat until we are stuffed and reflect on the blessings the good Lord has given us. But this year is special. It is my daughter’s first year at college, and she has not been home once this semester.

I have anxiously awaited the day she will arrive at the airport. My heart has ached for her.  I miss her so much.

Thank goodness, I have a son still at home, or my relationship with my dog might get out of control. (I know some are thinking it already has.) My son’s presence is a joy, and I get to see him everyday. Simple connection.

With all the phone calls, texting, emails, skyping and any other forms of communication can not replace seeing someone face to face.

As I look forward to seeing my daughter step off that plane, I begin to understand how our heavenly father must feel when He greets us in heaven.

God carefully knitted each one of us together in our mother’s womb knowing we would enter a world of sin that would separate us from His Presence. But to prepare for the day of reconciliation, He sent His Son, the One and Only, to form a bridge for us to Him.

Why would God do that; because He loves us and longs to be near us. Jesus told the story of the prodigal son and how the father looked for him everyday. When the son finally returned home, beaten down by this cruel world, the father ran to meet his son. Happy for his return, the father killed the fatted calf and threw a party.

When we accept Jesus as our Savior, we find a relationship we have longed for and we are sealed for the day of redemption. We learn more and more about our heavenly Father through Bible study and prayer. We build a relationship where we learn to recognize His voice, but I have a feeling nothing will compare with the day we get to go home. Jesus has prepared a place designed just for us and a celebration awaits that will compare to no other.

Take time to reflect this Thanksgiving on the fact that you are dearly loved! You have a Father that longs to see you and will run to meet you. And if you are missing your loved ones that have gone home before you, just remember they are enjoying a banquet, the likes we have never seen, and saving us a seat!

May you have a Blessed Thanksgiving!

Breaker, Breaker 1-9

Through the years, I’ve saved family heirlooms that are timeless. I’ve saved mementos that hold a special place in my heart. I have even saved some clothes that never seem to come back in style. But to my defense, I have given away, thrown away, and lost boxes and boxes of stuff that I knew would never, ever come back to be cool again. Yes, even some phrases like cool and groovy have gone by the wayside.

So you can imagine my disbelief when my son said that he wanted to get something I thought he would never know existed outside of the Smithsonian—a CB for his pick-up. All of his friends had them or were getting them. Translation, ”I have to have one too.” 

These days, I thought only truckers had them to help in their long journeys across the country. My husband and I were questioning the reality of a new generation wanting these primitive forms of communication, knowing that we had thrown away a collection of CB’s and antennas years ago because they were obsolete. No one would want those dinosaurs. They are in some landfill somewhere laughing at us now saying, “Yeah, we’ve still got it.”

I should have seen the writing on the wall. My son thinks “Smokey and the Bandit” is a good movie. So he would naturally be ready to jump on the bandwagon of the latest craze without much encouragement.

We gave our blessing to him spending his hard earned money if that is what he really wanted to do with it. With that okay, he headed to the nearest Love’s truck stop and purchased everything he wanted. He came home with bags and boxes of goodies he needed for an afternoon of installing with his dad. When they finished, the pickup now had a CB next to the Bluetooth (almost seems like an oxymoron) and dual antennas sticking up outside.

I had a hard time understanding why kids of the technology generation who grew up with cellphones and laptops that offer instant connection would want such a primitive form of communication. Then I started to remember the hours of fun I had talking to my best friend on open airways. Breaker, breaker 1-9, Bambi you got a copy, this is Popcorn Ball…

Guess that kind of fun just never goes out of style. J

For This Child I Prayed

Our hallway is a walk of fame for what I hold dear in this life—my family. There are pictures of Jeff and me when we first got married, and the only thing we had to put in our laps was the dog. I can’t begin to tell you how I got Jeff to agree to that photo. I just chalk it up to young love. As the pictures age, Jeff’s hair gets thinner and mine changes shapes and colors; but eventually our photos became complete with a girl and a boy and a dog when I can sneak one in.

There are sections of the hallway dedicated to each child at varies stages of their lives. They are treasures to me. I have one frame that is a collage for each of them (you probably have one too) where I have put in their school picture each year. There is a place for pictures from kindergarten all the way to the 12th grade. The pictures are the little wallet size until you get to the senior year. The senior year is front and center suitable for a 5x7 photo with the caption “For This Child I Prayed” 1Samuel 1:27a.

The scripture, 1 Samuel 1:27a comes from the story of Hannah. She prayed for a child and promised God that if she had one, she would give him to the Lord. Hannah conceived and after Samuel was weaned, she took him to the house of the Lord to be given to His service.

This week, I filled in the big 5x7 spot for my daughter. The collage is full. The frame is complete. Through the tears, I wonder where the time has gone. I look at each precious photo and I think, “Why, it was just yesterday she was sitting on the kitchen counter laughing and wanting more chocolate pudding.” As the pictures show a growing girl, I remember great victories we shared and a few heartbreaks here and there, but every step of the way, “For This Child I Prayed.” 

My little girl is now a beautiful young lady. I have to wonder as she gets ready to start a new chapter of her life...Did I teach her everything she needs to know? Did I prepare her for what lies ahead? Oh Lord, I hope so. I pray that God will be gracious and fill in where I was lacking. 

She is the Lord’s, and I know He has wonderful plans for her. I am so blessed that He put her in my home. It is my greatest honor to say, “For This Child I Prayed.”