Reminders...

We had an earthquake early this morning--the kind that rocked the bed, rousing me from a dream.  It went on for a while, in a gentle but unsettling way. When it quieted down, I dropped back to sleep. While we haven't had too many recently, it only serves to remind me of the realities in which we live. As one news account put it, we live on the "ring of fire" -- the region where 90% of the world's quakes occur.

Today is Thanksgiving in America.  For those who grew up with stories of pilgrims and Indians sharing that first meal together, it serves as a reminder of God's provision.  For some who haven't grown up in America, it seems presumptuous to relegate thanksgiving to one day. Living overseas for nearly half my life, I think that the American traditions have faded in significance, and I personally am thirsting for a lifestyle of thanksgiving instead.

The past month, several of my friends have been posting things they are thankful for as their facebook statuses.  A new one every day.  Reminders of the stages of family from various accounts (a new child, a son back from Afghanistan, a daughter baptized).

We are enjoying a two-week visit from our daughter's fiance and can honestly say we are deeply thankful for God leading this couple together. I'm thankful for my husband, who continues to encourage me to pursue what God has called me to do. I'm thankful for our daughters who are growing into wonderful young women.

I realize, though, that right now that some of the reasons I have to be thankful are nested in a frame of loss. We are reminded this week of the heritage that God allowed us to grow up in, as Stan and I just passed the 13th anniversary of the death of his dad and my mom, 2 days apart. I'm thankful for our sons, even though we deal daily with the difficulty of attachment disorder. While we are thankful for this future son-law, their marriage will put our daughter in another country.

Most of all, I am thankful for the Sovereign, Loving, All-Powerful God, for He is good. And I am grateful for reminders that He is God, and I'm not!

We WILL celebrate "American Thanksgiving" on Saturday, with a turkey and the trimmings, thanks to chef Stan..  We'll have five De La Cours, (born in four countries), plus our Englishman and a Canadian around the table.