Seeds of Love: Thanksgiving: another year of blessings

Thanksgiving has once more come and gone. Many families like mine, I’m sure, gathered around their tables expressing thanks for another year of blessings.

Meanwhile, coming across the airwaves was the news of the severe storms that caused unbelievable devastation in Haiti and also to our Maritime friends — a stark reminder to us all to stop taking things for granted.

Expressing gratitude, I believe, is a conscious choice we need to make daily. The more we express gratitude the more aware we become of God’s blessings and His Presence in our lives.

Last weekend feels almost like a dream. My family of 18 met together at the lovely Carmel Cove Resort, near Blind Bay. We feasted and played and sang and prayed together in two large, side-by-side lodges. Floor to ceiling windows on one side of the lodge opened up onto large decks facing the lake and Copper Island.

We were constantly awed by the beautiful display of God’s goodness in creation, especially as we gazed at the autumn splendor on the mountain vistas surrounding Shuswap Lake.

Rising for three mornings in a row to have breakfast with so many of my children was unbelievable.

An image I still savour is waking early Monday morning to discover Evie (5 years old) and Melissa (2 years old), my two precious great-grands, chatting together as they sat on stools at the breakfast bar, eating their peanut butter and banana toast.

I would just blink, it seemed, and a different family would be in the kitchen, efficiently preparing yet another delicious meal.

The cooking, baking, and buying everyone did made our feast days varied and special.

My goal for our family during this weekend away was to provide a retreat-like atmosphere that would encourage family friendship and connections, and also give much needed time for refreshment.

We met together after breakfast each morning for family worship and focus on special highlights of the day.

It was fun hanging out throughout the day, connecting in various ways as we got caught up in each other’s lives and even learned a few things about each other.

It’s probably the old teacher in Karen and me, but we couldn’t seem to help ourselves.

For years, we’d go the extra mile at school, squeezing in just one more creative idea.

So, during our planning, James, at times, helped us rein in our thinking. We ended up having plenty to do, but also lots of free time.

Moments to Remember:

Sneaking into everyone’s bedroom, before they arrived, to place on pillows a specially selected Bible verse and chocolate for each family member

Reading the personal gratitudes people hung on our traditional Thanksgiving tree

Spontaneous singing after Karen presented Family Music-Making Binders she created with words and chords to classics, old and new

Insta-Gram fun — each family member having shared selfies with Gram

Seeing guitars, harmonica, jambay, and shakers come out during enthusiastic singing of old favourites like Take It Easy and Take Me Home, Country Roads

Two-year-old Melissa, who loves her own violin, making music with violinist, Auntie Debi

Observing the camaraderie of kinfolk during KP duties

Enjoying a spa moment in the hot tub with Tyler and Roger

Richard walking with his aging mom, my sister Merle, along the lakeside

Hearing Evie’s squeals of laughter in the pool with Sarah and Tyler

Challenging Debi and Karen to a pool game at the clubhouse, with coaching from Roger

Thanksgiving liturgy with readings, singing and prayers

Puzzle contest between lodges

Bingo party and other group games

Down memory lane, sharing stories of Nels and the way we were, (although he left us nine years ago this Thanksgiving, more than his picture was present with us.) Nels’ legacy of love for family and fun was evident throughout our time together