I will have to admit that I am one of those people that completely glazes over Thanksgiving and heads straight to Christmas. I get the Christmas spirit some time around mid-June and begin pleading with Sammy Weiners to let me decorate for Christmas sometime around early October. I am not the biggest Halloween fan. I probably have my mother to thank for that, however I am pretty sure that there is something to be said for taking a day to give thanks.
This week has shown me how important the upcoming holiday is as I have received and get to take part in several moments to rejoice.
Tuesday afternoon I got word from my friend that allowed me to rejoice. I won't say too much, because she is a private person. I had been fervently praying for a scary, sad, and heart breaking situation that she had been dealing with to result in the very best outcome. On Tuesday, I realized that it would. Although her life is not going to be completely "normal" for some time, one day it will. The news also gave her the ability to enjoy this holiday season fear free with some answers and a game-plan to an otherwise scary situation.
Again, Sam and I will get to celebrate with one of his close friends as he gets married on Saturday in McKinney, TX. Although I am not big on weddings, marriage is a blessing and something to celebrate and hold dear to your heart. Likewise, I will be giving thanks for my own fresh marriage and asking God to continue to bless it and enrich it and asking God to guide us as we travel down a very long road together.
Finally, we had some family pictures taken and while the images were lovely, I couldn't help but be totally critical of my appearance in them. I looked too fat in one for my taste, and my smile was awkward in another, and my shoulders were really broad in another. Then I realized that the outfit I chose was not "my color" and I cursed myself for having red hair, fair skin, and freckles and not matching my two blonde-haired, blue-eyed loves. I have such a rough life...not. I hate doing that to myself. What I should really be thankful for, is that my small family is able to be captured while having a fun time. This will be something that will hopefully be around long after any of us. A frozen moment in time where we were just happy to be together. Something that future generations can look back on and put a name to the face. I so enjoy doing that. Knowing that there was a long line of "Conroy" noses exactly like mine before I was even a thought. Or knowing that Mallory's eyes are shaped like her great-grandmother's and her other Cherokee ancestors but the blue color comes from her Conroy and Craig genes.
The book of 1 Thessalonians talks about being thankful for what we have. This is something that I definitely need to stop and pause and reflect on in my personal life, not just one day a year. I have a lot to be thankful for this Thanksgiving - being surrounded by family, and love, and being able to pursue my dreams while staying at home to raise my baby so that I can see her learn, and grow, and progress. A warm bed, a husband with a warm heart, two spunky dogs, and a plethora of other incredible blessings. Happy Thanksgiving, y'all!
