"Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever." Psalm 118:1
Isn't it nice to have a whole month devoted to being thankful? To be reminded of all of our blessings? We are happier when we are thankful. Studies show this. More specifically, there is a proven substantial positive correlation between gratitude and life satisfaction. We are also happier when we believe in God. Yet sadly, references to religion have been largely removed from our secular, modern society. Did you know that when Congress asked President Washington to declare America's first National Day of Thanksgiving and Prayer, his proclamation of Nov. 26, 1789, noted, "It is the duty of all Nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits, and humbly to implore his protection and favor."
Part of what makes America so great is that you are free to practice whatever religion you want, including the choice to not practice religion at all. Religious freedom can include having no religion, being an atheist, or an agnostic. But as Vivek points out in this video, the ironic part is that while we do not have a government that punishes people for their lack of belief, the government does punish people for expressing their faith in God. Vivek calls for a return to a culture where even people who believe in God are able to authentically be themselves in all areas of their lives without fear of criticism or punishment.
America thrives when we respect all beliefs. Gov't shouldn't push religion, but neither should it hinder it.
Presently, people with no faith or with different faiths or ideas and beliefs are not afraid to speak up. They are very vocal and often the loudest or only voices in the room. Meanwhile, those with traditional values are afraid to bring up their perspectives or faith, even (especially?) around the water cooler at work. This needs to change, and I believe it is changing. Since Trump's assassination attempt, he has started publically referencing God, and he won the popular vote. I don't think that he won simply because Biden is the worst (and most corrupt!) president in recent history, and no one can afford groceries. I believe there is a resurgence and a desire to go back to one Nation, under God, because the veil has been lifted, and what the world looks like without religion has been exposed. Hedonism, doing whatever you want, whenever you want, is not as great as those darn hippies led us to believe.
In that vein, this month, I am continuing to bring God and prayer into our children's daily lives. Not just before meals and at bedtime, but in regular conversations, on the drive to school when we see a beautiful sunrise. Praying over our pets when they are injured or sick, and in the content we listen to, such as music, books, and podcasts. I have also started praying over them. This is something that I did not grow up with, and for this reason, it feels a bit odd to me. Okay, more than a bit odd - it feels downright unnatural as if I am casting some type of magic forcefield. But I went to a mother-daughter retreat a few months ago where we did this, and I really liked it. Do you know what praying over someone is? You literally place your hands up toward them and say your prayer out loud. I had a husband and wife pray over me last May when I explained that I was on leave and didn't know why, and it was so touching and comforting.
I am working hard to cultivate and increase my faith in God and have made some great progress recently thanks to an amazing book. I will share more about this in an upcoming post.
And now, back to our regularly scheduled updates! We started the month with a trip to Disneyland and Oak Glen. My brother went with us to Oak Glen, to the old school house like we had gone to with Dad. He continues to be on my mind daily, in a wistful way, but fortunately, I do not find myself tearful over his loss. There is not a lot of space or room for being sad in all that our daily lives entail, and that's a good thing. I could go there, certainly, but I don't. I do, however, whisper I wish you were here, Dad at least once a day and bring him up in conversations with the kids. I have even found my brother and I talking about some of his more difficult moments and having a laugh over them, as he would if he were here.
We had a few friends over for the election, which went better than any of us could have dreamed of. By the end of the night, we were all out in the streets with sparklers from our wedding, doing the Trump dance!
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| Too cool for British rule! |
We added a new little critter to our family this month—a hedgehog! Our daughter wanted one for Christmas, and it would not arrive on Christmas unless I kept it hidden in the attic! So, I did the best I could to still keep it a surprise, by not telling the kids where we were going. We got into the car and went for a drive - for a surprise. They really had no idea. As I pulled into the Target parking lot a few cities over and approached the breeder, their reaction was pure joy!
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| Introducing...Mrs. Tiggy Winkle |
As Thanksgiving drew near, we celebrated our 11 year wedding anniversary (13 years together!) followed by my hubby's birthday. |
| The love of my life - forever and always |
I started decorating for Christmas, and we had Thanksgiving at home with just the four of us. It was low-key and not hectic at all.
Aut was a huge help this year. I went for a 3-mile run that morning and asked her to peel the potatoes. No one likes peeling potatoes. I figured that she would do a few, and I would finish the rest when I returned. I was pleasantly surprised to learn that she did all of them, and also washed and cut them! She helped me make an apple pie, and set the table. We watched the Twilight Zone, and they played video games with Dad. After dinner, we went on a beautiful walk behind our home with the dogs.
She also had swim practice that morning, gearing up for her first swim meet in December. I'm pretty proud of her for getting in the pool on Thanksgiving when it was cold and windy, and (this is the important part!) not complaining about it!
While we weren't able to see my brother on Thanksgiving because he's working so many hours with UPS, he treated us all to an amazing lunch for my hubby's birthday. I'm proud of how well he is doing, and I love that we have remained close since Dad died...possibly even closer. We recently started ending our daily phone calls how Mom and Dad did, with "God Bless" which sounds more like Ga-bless.
We ended the month with one last trip to Legoland before our passes expired. We will take a break for a year or two, but then, we will be back!
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