A Time for Thanks

Some of my sweetest holiday memories are filled with love, laughter, sharing, and incredible feasts.

I have been blessed with the most loving family. My grandparents had seven children, countless grandchildren, and many great-grandchildren. Every holiday, our entire family would gather at my grandparents’ home to celebrate together.

We used to joke that by the time you made your way around the house saying hello, hugging everyone, and catching up with each family member, it was almost time to go home!

I loved my grandparents’ house. It was always warm, cozy, and filled with the most wonderful smells. Grams spoiled us with trays of homemade cookies and treats, but what I remember most weren’t the desserts—it was her warm hugs, sweet laugh, and kisses that made everyone feel loved.

There was always a football game playing quietly in the background while the house buzzed with conversation, laughter, and stories shared around the supper table. Every now and then, I’ll hear a certain song or catch a familiar scent that instantly takes me back to those days. For just a moment, I’m a little girl again, surrounded by the people I loved most.

As Thanksgiving approaches, I’d like to share a memory from our family cookbook. My dear aunt, with a little help from her sisters, spent countless hours gathering recipes, photographs, and family stories, creating a beautiful cookbook called Supper Songs.

I never asked exactly what this title meant, only that to me it was a glorious reference to the meals we shared being like songs.  Songs of love, sharing, kindness, and joy; songs of our life.  

Food is more than just that which sustains us.  Each dish holds a story of those who devoted their time, labor, and love to make something spectacular to share with those dear to them.

Today, I want to start by sharing our family prayer with you.

Thanksgiving Prayer

Heavenly Father, we ask your blessings on our family gathered together this Thanksgiving Day and also on those members who cannot be here with us today. We thank you for the love we share with one another; for the food that we are about to receive, and for all the blessings we have been granted. We are grateful that we live in a land of plenty, where friends and family can gather together to celebrate the harvest. Help us to be ever mindful of the simple and easily forgettable things that bring real happiness and that it is our duty and privilege to give back to the world, in some measure, a part of all that you have given to us. These things we ask in Jesus’ name. AMEN

This prayer was found among our dear grandparent's files, 1976-1977. 

Happy Thanksgiving to my family and friends.  May you enjoy peace and love during this time of giving.