The Thanksgiving I Remember Most…
Hi friend,
Thirteen years ago, Stuart and I found ourselves spending Thanksgiving in Alabama — a place we called home for a year. A week before the Thanksgiving holiday, I gave birth to our second baby. Owen’s birth was extremely difficult physically (that’s another story for another day), but suffice it to say, by Thanksgiving Day, I could still barely function.
We found ourselves weary with an all-but-empty kitchen and completely empty bank account by the time the holiday came around.
Friends of ours who lived a mile up the road called us last minute. “Do you have a place to land for Thanksgiving?” they inquired. We didn’t. Nor did we have plans, the prospect of plans, or the energy to make any ourselves.
“Come join at our table,” was their response. In such an offer, they willingly gave up a piece of their life for ours.
I can still taste Kate’s whisky-glazed carrots, sweet potato stuffing, and the golden dram of Scotch in Stu’s right hand. Their home was warm and the gathering intimate — our young girls played on the floor while I cradled a week-old Owen close to my chest. My body ached horribly, but my heart was lifted from gloom. I’d found myself at a table with friends, full of provisions, and for that brief period of time, they took our burdens on their own.
Kate held the baby so I could eat with both hands.
She set out extra toys and treats to distract the toddlers.
Matt poured me a glass of wine, and we lingered over a table full, the likes of which we hadn’t experienced in a good long while.
For that moment, we were filled with far more than food.
We’re reflecting on hospitality and the giving of self for others in this week’s new video. Come set the table and light the fire; here you’ll find mismatched silverware and deeply grateful hearts.
I pray often to be to others what the Griffiths were to us in that season. A refuge of safety, comfort, and delight.
Come, see, and taste that the Lord is good!
Have a blessed Thanksgiving, our friends. May your tables and your hearts be full.
