This year we'll be celebrating and enjoying our Thanksgiving feast with other American and half-American families we've met here. Of course, it will be different. Instead of football there will only be soccer on TV, dinner will be served in the evening after a full day of work and school, and there will be no moral dilemma regarding the appropriateness of shopping or not shopping at the stores getting a jump start on Black Friday (yes, this retail frenzy is international news). We will enjoy most of the traditional menu items: turkey--this would have been replaced with duck or chicken if it weren't for a friend with a connection, potatoes, stuffing, rolls, and pies. But I think I'll miss those creative jello dishes! Otherwise, all the important ingredients for celebrating Thanksgiving will be present--family, good friends, and good food.
Because Thanksgiving is about much more than just the meal,
here is a short list of what the Roths are grateful for this year:
the gospel of Jesus Christ
--it is true everywhere
each other
--a blessing that can make anywhere feel like home
friends and family
--you add indescribable richness to our lives
food that tastes like home
sunshine
--there is less of it all the time now, so we REALLY savor it when we can!
hygge time
good health
new friends
I could go on. I could include even the sometimes silly, little things that make life good. But it is, of course, the top few that carry us through. In fact, when I pause to think about all the good that comes in my life and that of my family, it all hinges on Jesus Christ. Even the quirky good things that happen and sometimes go unnoticed, I see as tender mercies of the Lord: the time when a box of sugar cookie mix with cut outs and sprinkles arrived in the mail the very day my little boy was homesick and wishing we could decorate Halloween cookies; the times when girls on Maurie's soccer team have extended themselves to practice their English and include Maurie in their conversations; the times when our Danish neighbors have invited us to dinner and made us feel so welcome; all the effort given during church meetings to translate just for our family; the times when we get to the bus stop late and the bus is just arriving; the times when someone misses the bus but the car ride to school is full of meaningful conversation; the surprise birthday present of Snickers bars for Grant; the technology to watch our son, Kyle, open his mission call and be able to feel like we were there with him; new friends who have welcomed us completely and made us a part of their lives. In addition, there are those simple, fun moments I feel grateful for--moments like having a yard to play in, learning how to bake with wet yeast instead of dry, riding what I consider my luxurious, soft-seated, upright, Danish-style bike through a beautiful tree-lined path, going to the Temple every week, and spending a Friday night watching movies or playing games with my family. Each of these moments remind me that God loves us and that He is perfectly aware of our needs. Living away from friends and family and all that is 'normal' has been hard for this 'home-body.' It's difficult to see your kids miss their friends. It's hard to watch them struggle. Growth comes from that, though. I have renewed gratitude for all that is good in my life here in Denmark and for all that is good in my life at home in America. I have been richly blessed! And so...happy thanksgiving, because it does make one happy to give thanks.
It is not happiness that brings gratitude.
It is gratitude that brings happiness.
