On Thanksgiving Day we acknowledge our dependence. ~William Jennings Bryan
Since last Thanksgiving, I have been many places.
I’ve been to quiet, deep-carpeted funeral homes, church pews with more Kleenex boxes than hymnals, and cemetaries where if the granite markers were soldiers, there would be no enemies.
I’ve been in a jet aiming at a January sunrise.
I’ve rocked and jostled in a subway, ridden an elevator to the clouds, and bought Dr. Scholl’s boot inserts at a drugstore in Chicago.
I’ve seen my eldest daughter as a young lady.
I’ve stared at two pink lines. I’ve driven to a doctor’s office a few days later and cried outside her building because I wanted to come back again and again and again for the next eight months and I was afraid I wouldn’t.
I’ve sent my best friend, my husband, away for more than a week to a storm-ravaged town so he could help.
I’ve felt a baby inside me roll over and live.
I’ve been terrified it would stop.
I’ve seen a long hot popsicle summer turn into cool sidewalk-chalk autumn—either way, the patio is splashed by the color of my children.
I’ve been numbed, sliced open, and had a daughter lifted from me.
The doors I’ve opened were hung by someone else. The needles which drew my blood and delivered medicine were placed under my skin by kind women wearing gloves. The bank said yes when we said we needed a new car, a big one, please.
My mother dropped everything to help when my husband went to Mississippi and again when our baby’s arrival was sudden and early.
Casseroles in tin arrived in a steady stream during my blurrier and ouch-ier days of recovery.
My computer hums, my dryer hums, my dishwasher hums, my furnace hums—a quartet singing an homage to grey utility poles and wires.
A year later another turkey sits in my refrigerator, defrosting too slowly. I anxiously poke it every time I open the door.
Will it ever be golden brown? In its present condition, we may be eating it for Christmas.
I depend on it to thaw, for the potatoes to fluff just right, for the pie to be sweet under a Cool Whip coat.
I depend on another Thanksgiving to come so I can acknowlege a year of survival.
I couldn’t do it without you, God.
I just couldn’t.
*sigh*
What a beautiful reflection Mopsy. I love the way your mind works.
Beautiful!
This made me cry.
I, too, see Thanksgiving as survival- at our house it brought memories of loss and heartache for a couple years and this year will be our first true celebration of putting that all in the past. Beautiful.
I’m going to have to tell people to come read this.
Wow, that is lovely. A life well-lived. I really enjoyed this writing.
Lovely, thank you so much for sharing that!
Praise God!
Mary
Sigh! Just lovely, like a beautiful beautiful painting.
That was music to my eyes! Gorgeous!
Magnificent.
Amen! Happy Thanksgiving!
Isn’t life, everyday life, a joy and a gift from God?
What a lovely post.
Beautiful. What a year you’ve had! Thanks for sharing your sweet thoughts.
I loved this. This is the way I wish I could think and write. This was beautiful. Thanks.
Wow…don’t know much else to say but Wow!
We’ve been through a year of great change and headed into even more big changes for our family so this has me reflecting in much the same way on this past year. We survived it – and we’ve come out on the other side – with God!!
I look forward to checking out more of your blog!
Amen to dependence Day. Thank you Lord.
Just lovely, Mopsy. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving with your family!
How lovely. Shannon sent me and I am glad she did.
I love the way you express life.
I understand why you are the blog of the week over at Stephanie’s blog. I love reading you! Happy Thanksgiving!
This is simply beautiful, thanks.
I’m here from Gina’s “Portrait.” This was beautiful. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving.
That was beautiful. Happy Thanksgiving
I’ve added you to my blogroll!
I’m here via Shannon. This is beautiful, and it resonated deeply with me. This year has been excruciatingly hard and as a result more beautiful for my family. Blessings come into view more clearly when they’re surrounded by pain, I think.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Amen! So beautiful!!
Happy Thanksgiving,
Heidi
Love the Thomas trains picture! My boys have got even more than that. It takes over their whole room!
Thank you for sharing that. My own little family is small and very healthy – too healthy sometimes 9_9 – so in spite of all the worries and troubles we’ve had (unemployment and pay cuts) I’ve never had to be frightened of losing one. It was sobering to talk to the friends we invited over for our feast. Their son (#5) was born this summer with serious heart defects, has had numerous surgeries already, and may or may not (most likely not) live to grow up. He looks like any other baby except rather gray. (The main problem is between his heart and lungs.) It makes me thankful that my son, in particular, is so extremely full of vitality – even if he climbs to high places and jumps off, or nearly breaks my nose with his stone-like skull, or throws my nicest dishes on the floor where they shatter. He’s still a bright, laughing spirit who will surely grow to be as tall as his father and have his own sweet family someday. I will get to enjoy him for – probably – the rest of my life. That is truly, truly a blessing. Thank you for reminding me again.
This post, and its poignancy, reminded me of one of yours from last year that I was thinking of last week as I celebrated my daughter’s 2nd birthday. She is my baby and I desperately want another, but it just isn’t happening. I remember how you said you didn’t know if there was a reason to save the 2 candle, if you would ever celebrate another 2nd birthday. I’m glad that you will, and hope I will too.
I was doing a web search to see what came up for my book, Dependence Day, and ran across your post. Love it! Thanks for posting. May God bless you and your family much. May you always have the wisdom to reflect upon our dependence on our creator!
If you are interested, you can look up my book either at my website, http://www.dependence-day.com or through CrossBooks Publishing. (My husband was a motorcycle police officer who was injured during a car stop. This was the start of a series of events that brought us to full and complete dependence upon God and strengthening of our faith. The book takes you through our journey.)
God bless!
Heidi