Yesterday the First Grader’s school had their annual Thanksgiving feast. The kids performed a musical program and everyone was supposed to dress up as either a pilgrim or an Indian. The First Grader wanted to be a pilgrim. That would have been simple enough if we had costumes of that nature on hand, but in this house our costuming is limited to characters who wear tutus, tiaras, or wings. I’m pretty sure the Plymouth settlers would have found all of that a bit excessive.
I looked up a few tutorials on DIY pilgrim costumes, but they all contained the dreaded three-letter word: SEW. So, I did what I always do in situations of this sort. I panicked. Then, I mustered up enough emotional energy to go to Jo-Anns.
And there I found a child’s apron, a white bandana, and renewed hope for our potential to pull off the pilgrim look.
It wasn’t perfect. She had to sport a pinned up black skirt of mine and a baby bonnet several sizes too small for her head. And, the bandana… I cut the head hole way too large, and it looked more like a set of football pads than a collar. But, it sufficed.
The great beauty of working with a First Grader on a costume of this sort is that she has very low expectations. And if I say in dramatic fashion, “There! You look just like a pilgrim!,” then she believes that she looks just like a pilgrim.
And, so it was.
And, once I stopped stressing about the nasty weather, whether or not our pilgrim costume might fall apart mid-program, and the fact that my corn soufflé was going to be cold by the time we got to the “feast,” I sat still long enough to listen to the sweet voices of a group of kids who were themselves a reminder of all I have to be thankful for.
I’ve been frustrated the past couple of weeks with how many interruptions the girls create. And, the Preschooler has been asking no less than one hundred questions a day. Hard ones like,
“How do fish breathe under water?”
“How deep is the ocean?”
“Do people have birthdays in heaven?”
“Is Rudolph still alive?”
{Sigh} I don’t have the energy or wisdom to do or say all the right things in response to the frequent interruptions and questions. But, I want to have the wisdom to be more grateful for these little bodies and hearts and minds who have a need to know… even when their timing is less than convenient. They are God’s greatest gifts, and I want to live {and respond to them} like I believe that.
If I know anything at all about the practice of thanksgiving, it’s that I don’t do enough of it.
Praise the Lord! Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever. Who can list the glorious miracles of the Lord? Who can ever praise him enough? {Psalm 106:1-2)
I know I cannot. But, I’m grateful for a holiday that reminds us we must try. And not just one Thursday in November. Every. Day.
Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good!
Happy, happy Thanksgiving.
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