For those of you who don’t know, Leon and I lead a small group in our church in Carlisle. It’s been a growing experience for both of us, but we really enjoy it. This year we decided to host a Thanksgiving dinner at our home, as a way to share a part of our lives with the rest of our small group. We had everyone in our group bring a dish that you’d “traditionally” find at a Thanksgiving meal. In the end, we combined with another small group at our church because both of our groups are small.
It was a lot of fun to share this American tradition with our British friends. Although it wasn’t until someone expressed it to me on Sunday how much he enjoyed the meal and what a “cultural experience” it was that I realised how culturally different Thanksgiving is from the English culture.
I guess it is a cultural experience for someone who has never celebrated the American holiday before. I just never think of it that way because I grew up celebrating it every year. We spent some time talking about the things we’re thankful for using leaves that had Bible verses about thanksgiving on a Thanks Giving Tree I’d made. I found it really good to share what we’re thankful for with a group of believers, and it helped the two groups get to know each other better.
Sharing what we’re thankful for in a gathering like that might be considered cultural. I suppose the food is cultural, too. The sweetness of a sweet potato casserole might mean it should be considered a dessert in England. I’ve observed that pumpkin pie is also kind of an oddity here, too. As I like to say, “It’s not right, it’s not wrong, it’s just different.” I’m thankful for that. :)
How did you celebrate Thanksgiving this year?
It’s a little hard to believe that this is the last post in my Giving Thanks Daily series. What a journey it’s been. I’m hoping to continue this new habit of giving thanks daily into the future, even though Thanksgiving is past. I will continue to share with you the things I’m thankful for, although not as regularly as I have in the past month.
How do I keep track of the things I’m thankful for? I have a small notebook I’ve designated as my gratitude journal. I also use Ann Voskamp’s Joy Dare as a prompt for thinking of the things that I’m thankful for on a daily basis. The prompts are helpful for those days I can’t always come up with something original to be thankful for.
So here’s to continuing to count blessings every day! I hope you’ll continue to count your blessings, too!
74. Healing stitches
75. Cold medicine
76. Wound dressings
77. Pumpkin pie recipe
78. Lists of food
79. Tesco grocery order
80. Handmade cardigan
81. Hugs from my little boy
82. Asher’s giggles
83. Sharing gratitude
84. Gathering for Thanksgiving
85. A meal shared
86. Asher eating spaghetti with a fork
87. Christmas decorations
88. Couch cushions
89. God’s goodness
90. Photo shoots
91. Gathering with Americans (for Thanksgiving)
92. Glittery white Christmas baubles
93. Milk in a cup of coffee
94. Hearing Asher learn the word, “bauble”
