Choosing Thanksgiving

 

Is it just me or is Thanksgiving becoming the black sheep of the Holiday family? After all it's a Holiday centered on appreciation but it doesn't get much appreciation. Isn’t that ironic, don’t you think? (I am resisting the urge to sing the rest of the song but you definitely should).  To add to it Black Friday is now technically on Thanksgiving Thursday as the stores in the last two years are opening earlier and earlier. Thanksgiving Day is now officially getting jipped.  

So what’s my point? It’s not to point fingers to those who go black Friday shopping or who love to decorate for Christmas before Thanksgiving arrives. I myself love a good deal and some Christmas cheer so that is definitely not what I am getting at.

My point is I don’t want to skip the thankful part. I don’t want to cut short my gratitude. Instead I want to have a heart that doesn’t feel hurried this season. One that doesn’t rush November to get to December. One that doesn’t feel obligated but instead gives out of thankfulness. One that invites others in and lets them stay there.

And for me, my home is an extension to express the thankfulness within me. It is a deep desire of mine to set an atmosphere of genuine gratitude, one that you can feel when you walk inside. I want my home to be a place where family, friends, and neighbors can gather, connect and feel loved. A place with a Thanksgiving state of mind all year round.

As the season is in full swing I fight the urge to make my house anything that it isn’t. It’s not perfect, it’s not finished, and it’s usually not even that clean. But you know what? It’s ours and it represents who we are at our core: imperfect, unfinished, and messy. Won’t you let your house be a reflection of who you are this Holiday season?

The Holidays carry so much meaning and honestly I could make a sweater with all the warm feelings it gives me. But in the midst of all the Holiday stress/pressure I have to remind myself that Thanksgiving isn’t just a day of food, naps, and football, it’s about the posture of our heart. And what’s in our hearts out pours into our lives.

May we carry Thanksgiving with us every day and through every season!

*Blog Post Courtesy of Shaina at Married to Restoration

Posted in: Thanksgiving