THE SECOND THANKSGIVING

We did not consume enough food at our First Thanksgiving, so we were forced to hold a second meal. Everyone knows you are supposed to consume about 3000 calories on Thanksgiving, and our first meal left us a bit short. We only had 1853, so we held a second, larger gathering, at our small town home where we consumed the lacking calories, plus an additional large amount, bringing our total well above the required 3000. We crammed 24 people and a ton and three quarters of food into this small space. Our town home has a greatroom. Here in the back of the photo you can see the kitchen, with a counter that separates it from the dining room, with a sofa that separates it from the living room! Small, but cozy, and we love it! However, it is not the most spacious spot for large family gatherings. We didn't have everyone present as Alaska is too far away for Chris to come for one meal, and Lenny and family from North Dakota couldn't make it either. And Gail is still receiving help for her addiction, so she wasn't there either. We missed them all a lot!

But the 24 of us that did gather here had a very close time. A very, very close time! I had ten by the table, four by the counter, five in the computer/sewing/guest room on my sewing table, and four in the living room with trays, and one decided not to eat. We made it!

And silly me, I took pictures of the first two families to arrive and then things got so crazy that I neglected to snap any further pictures. Below, on the sofa, are son Lance, his wife Tya, and their two girls, Jaden sitting by her dad, and Madison in the pink shirt. Lance was the only one of our sons to get a deer this year. He is the youngest of our seven kids.

These two guys pictures below are Joe in the white and Justin in the brown and orange plaid. They are the sons of our second kid, and oldest son, Kevin, and his wife Molly. Both of these guys are on the ski hills this morning, making good use of their long weekend.

Missing from these photos is my dear mother. She was feasting in Heaven with Jesus, and I'm sure didn't miss us at all. But we missed her. We did have lefsa, even though we had to purchase it this year, as mom was the lefsa maker for the family.

As most of you know, we are Lutherans. The main part of our instruction before our Confirmation in the eighth grade consisted of memorizing Luther's Small Catechism. At our church service on Thanksgiving Eve the congregation recited The First Article of the Apostles' Creed and the meaning of those words, and I would like to include these words here. It is perfect for Thanksgiving as it lists many of our abundant blessings:

I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of Heaven and earth.

What does this mean?

I believe that God has made me and all creatures; that He has given me my body and soul, eyes, ears, and all my members, my reason and all my senses, and still preserves them. That He gives clothing and shoes, meat and drink, house and home, wife and children, fields, cattle, and all my goods; that He richly and daily provides me with all that I need to support this body and life; that He defends me against all danger, and guards and keeps me from all evil. And all this purely out of fatherly, divine goodness and mercy, without any merit or worthiness in me; for all which I am duty bound to thank and praise, to serve and obey Him.

This is most certainly true!