Happy Thanksgiving

Introverts refuel by being alone. Extroverts refuel by getting with people. Being essentially introvertish, I’m cloistering for a day or two to recover from a wonderful Thanksgiving Day holiday. As the picture here shows, everyone was with us for the weekend. Adria was here with her fiancé Gamaliel, Matthew with is fiancé Allissa, as well as all the usual local suspects, including a happy reunion with our dear friend Kim Doane from Orlando. People everywhere, and we were blessed.

Thanksgiving Day itself was delightful. We began with a joint worship service with St. Paul Missionary Baptist Church. Yes, one joint service per year does not really remove the segregation that plagues American churches, but it serves as a step towards heart softening and perhaps gives us a longing for a deeper and richer relationship together.

Dinner was satisfying and happy, and shared with our good friends Gus and Adri Espino. We conclude dinner with everyone sharing the things for which he or she is most thankful (written on pieces of paper and shared around the table). One of Colin’s was, “I’m thankful that I was adopted by a Christian family.” We can never quite tell what goes on in that active seven year old brain of his.

This was all followed by our annual family kickball game. I know, a strange tradition, this one. But it serves as a fun way to work off some of the food just eaten and to make room for pie. The teams were divided by gender. The game was called after two innings, with the score…. Well, it would be in bad taste to share the score, but the leading team had about twenty runs ahead of the losing team.

Barb and I at one point looked at all the members of the family and were HUGELY humbled to realize that all of these, all whom we love so much and all of whom we are so proud, have come to us by God’s grace. Just over 28 years ago, there were but two of us. We have a lot to be thankful for.

And I need a couple days to recover.