I am in the process of using things from my freezer so I can restock with newer, fresher things. I was looking in there last week and taking out some food I thought might be used for the week and for Thanksgiving dinner.  I found a box of frozen pie crusts and a loaf of bread and some English muffins. Actually while searching for the bread I spent some time organizing all my bread products and needed to set the pie crusts down while doing that. The freezer is in the garage and my Aztek is parked about a yard from the freezer door so I just reached up and set them on top of the car – the floor is too dirty.
Yes, several hours later in church, the husband who had driven separately from a different location said to me “I parked next to you. Why do you have pie crusts on top of your car?”
“Well,” I said, “I’m going to make pies and I’m thawing the crusts. They were frozen.”
“Okay,” he said, “I put them in my truck so no one would take them.”

That was my first Thanksgiving faux pas. The second one, and again it’s that freezer that’s getting me in trouble, is that I find out at 11 pm the night before that I have no butter.  The freezer is usually full of butter! I love butter and I never want to run out. Since the freezer is getting rather empty it was easy to search every shelf and there was no butter. Now I will have to be one of those terrible people who goes looking for a grocery store that’s open on Thanksgiving. Aaaaaaaagghhhg!

But there is no chance that the turkey will not get done tomorrow, because it has been cooked tonight. I was taking no chances. All of my guests tomorrow were also present two years ago when we waited on dinner for over an hour because the turkey wouldn’t cook. It never did get done. We had lots of other food and no one went hungry, but no turkey?!  It was surreal and supremely embarrassing, and evidently very memorable because they all have fun reminding me of it.

So this year I want to be known for something else and we’ll see what it will be. Maybe the well-travelled, church going pie.

As of 12 noon today I am on Thanksgiving vacation!! I am already mentally enjoying it even though there is work to do. I feel excited and relaxed at the same time, how can that be? The morning was rigorous and ended with me packing hundreds of bags and suitcases into my employer’s van (slight exaggeration) and sending her and her helpers to Myrtle Beach for their own Thanksgiving vacation. I am off work until next Wednesday and already the time is going way too fast. 

Tonight I go fetch the kayaks. Tomorrow I get to bake and smell wonderful stuff in the kitchen. These things are fun and fun is good. #so#thankful.


Okra and sunflowers for the table



Well, like all Boone coffee hours it was probably longer than an hour.  And because we’re all on diets it was oatmeal and fruit instead of cinnamon rolls and pastries, but it was great and it’s a keeper.  Visitors always welcome.



waiting for the starting flag



Digging in



Kim and Gracie



Me with a small coffee, Dennis with a large milk

Gracie took this one





Gracie’s animals came too



 It’s funny how one can live so much with a future event in mind that everything revolves around its approach, its occurrence and then its memory. And it can all happen in such a short time once it starts. Thanksgiving and a visit from family members is the commanding event. Every day I’m planning, putting another piece of the event in place. There is a lot to do that is interesting so I’m enjoying it moment by moment.

I have done a lot of cleaning.  I have no fingernails left and if bleach is as toxic as they say, I can expect to die momentarily from exposure to it. I have disposed of enough cat hair to fully clothe two additional cats at least. (Locks of love for felines?… maybe not). I have overcome two of my most deep seated proclivities. I threw away most all the magazines I have been saving and I also gave up some boxes. I don’t know why I save boxes – except that some of them are so cleverly built and seem like they should be useful for something. Well, they’re gone. I just got tired of saving them, and cleaning them, and organizing them, and looking for a new place to store them. And in spite of the fact that I’ll probably need them tomorrow, I’m glad they’re gone.

I thought some on my meal plans for the coming week. I bought some first quality Hunsader vegetables and a boquet of sunflowers and okra pods. I was given a whole bunch of coupons for other Thanksgiving groceries by a thoughtful friend. I’ve gotten together with my co-conspirator for the cooking and we’ve planned our pre-meal work and everyone is assigned their favorite thing to bring. My guests are all lined up. I’ve started reading the Thanksgiving story to Gracie, a few chapters at a time out of the book about John Billington and Squanto. We’ve had a good laugh at all the pilgrim names like Love Brewster and Remember Morris,

I’m planning on cleaning the car and making a packing list for Gainesville tomorrow.  I have the batteries charging for the air mattresses. I’ve asked Julie to make her yummy crockpot lasagna for Friday. I have reserved our kayaks for the weekend. Things are moving forward and I’m full of anticipation of a good family time together with my children – a pretty rare thing.

And in the midst of this, last Wednesday, a young mother in our church died suddenly and unexpectedly. It must have been an embolism or something quick like that. Her four year old son found her. I have just been to her memorial service and am very aware of how quickly life can change, and how final that change can be. The things that I am thankful for, the things I get to do in the next week with people I love, have taken on a new brilliance and significance. I am so thankful for now and even more thankful that I’m not afraid of the future and of eternity. This will be a heartfelt Thanksgiving for me.

Last night someone asked me a question about a past event in our lives, when did it happen, what year?  I’m not good at answering those questions.  Time goes by too fast for me.  I’m always thinking some great memorable time was just last year until I realize that two or three years have really gone by since it happened.  So I try to journal, keep calendars, write letters… anything to rehearse events and the dates that they happened.  I still don’t remember them very well but I have the written record in most cases.  I looked in all those places last night and didn’t get the answer to the question, which was, “what year did the horse, Ghost, come down to Florida from Wisconsin”? I had to message my daughter and get the answer from her.

But, oh the fun I had looking for it! I have one journal in particular that I wrote in, off and on, for over ten years while my children were young.  There are so many descriptions of them, and life with them from my perspective.  Having such a poor memory I really value those writings.  I suppose the memories are in my head somewhere but reading about what happened kind of drags the thoughts out where I can think them again. I guess that’s what memory is.  I’ve also been looking at a lot of old pictures of family and our lives in various places since my “barn window project” and that has been a similar experience down memory interstate (it’s not a lane anymore). 

The most remarkable thing for me was to see how my feelings about some things have changed over the years. Specifically, I see how hanging in there has paid off for me in so many ways (my work, my marriage, my faith).  I am glad that in those moments of temptation, despair, trouble of one kind or another, that I had a reason to persist and a purpose to fulfill.  Faithfullness is one of my favorite words and to me, it is a description of God’s character much more than my own. Given time, he is always proven to be faithful.  I think he gives us the past to prove that.

Thinking about Cambodia again today.  We’ve got word that quite a few of the children, including my friend Chanra, are ill with unexplainable high fevers.  They will be going for blood tests tomorrow.  I remember when Julia was only about 4 years old and had recurring high fevers and we couldn’t find any cause for it.  It was a scary time.  Imagine having 20 + children and five or six of them sick like that… Please join us in praying for their quick return to health.  And let me know if you enjoy the slide presentation that my friend Trish put together for our talks this weekend.  Click the link below for a quick visit to Prek Eng, Cambodia, orphanage houses Jeremiah’s Hope and Joshua’s Hope.

Cornerstone Cambodia Summer 2012