I took the time a few days ago to read up about how the Thanksgiving Celebration started hundreds of years ago which is most interesting.....and out of all the celebrations you can celebrate....it is one worth doing! It is all about appreciating and being thankful for 'bountiful provision' and of course the GOODNESS of God.
So I think for this kiwi family it is one American tradition that is here to stay - and I'm pleased about that. Taking time to be thankful and appreciate each other is always a GOOD thing to do, something we shouldn't wait for Thanksgiving Day to exercise!
And of course, left over turkey makes GOOD sandwiches and there's enough of that to keep me going for awhile!!
It's nice to have 'GOOD' things happen in our lives. There's certainly enough 'bad' stuff happening around us all the time - which seems to be constantly in our faces thanks to the media - in fact I find myself recording the news on TV and 'fast forwarding' a lot of stuff that is just too upsetting or depressing to watch!
It's great to make a record of the GOOD things that happen - either by a journal/diary entry - or by just tucking them away in the memory banks so you can 'rewind' and think about them from time to time.
So I thought it would be timely to record some of the GOOD things that have happened in my life of late - apart from Thanksgiving! A few weeks ago I met up with a group of girls I went through primary and secondary school with. This was an unexpected surprise....to meet up with people I hadn't seen for over 40 years was quite something!! Forty years......that is scary!
We ended up having a loooong lunch - as you do:) There was the usual "oh you don't look any different".......ha.....we all know the truth about that one! But certainly on the inside we don't 'feel' any different! Then of course there's the endless "what happened to......?" and "Really??" and "You're kidding me, are you serious??" It really was a lot of fun!
But what followed on from that was even more fun! I discovered one of these girls had - for the last 13 years - been living in a house that my father had built and that my family had lived in during my high school years......and she invited me to come take a look! Now that really was fun! Talk about going down memory lane - that was literally what happened. As I wandered around the house so many memories came flooding back. For a house that was built in the 60's it looked really GOOD - testimony to the design and build of my father! Apart from changes in colour schemes and a few minor things, it was just as I remembered.......and it was full of GOOD memories!
Then last week I met up with a friend who Tony and I worked alongside in Youth With a Mission in Australia in the the late 80's. She now lives in South Africa and travels the world teaching in YWAM schools. We hadn't seen each other for over 20 years. Once again it was a long catch up and a precious time as the years rolled away and we remembered.......and shared about what life is like now for us both. Another GOOD time for the memory bank:)
An especially GOOD thing in our family right now is that my eldest daughter Vanessa, is returning to live in NZ after 3 years overseas. For me to know that all my kids will be in the same country (at least for now) does my heart GOOD :)
This afternoon I headed out to the surf beach for a walk. It was another beautiful day and I was looking forward to getting my feet in the sand and having a paddle. As I stopped briefly at the top of the walkway before heading down the beach a young couple came up to me with a camera and asked me to take a few photos of them with the surf/beach in the background. They had just got married!! I was of course only too happy to help them out.......and as I went on my way it made me smile thinking about what a GOOD day they were having!
This coming Tuesday, 3rd December, will mark 2 years since Tony went to live in heaven. While this is a very GOOD thing for him, it has not been such a great thing for me. Learning to live without someone who has been in your life for over 40 years is not the easiest thing, but I think I can say the GOOD days are starting to outnumber the bad days. I have much to be thankful for - too many to list here - but one major thing that is on my mind right now is the fact that I had a GOOD marriage for 36 years to a GOOD man - someone who loved me, believed in me, supported me, cheered me on, encouraged me......and that is something that I will always gratefully remember and cherish.
As I sit at my computer my eyes are drawn to a painting a friend of mine did about 3 years ago. It is of Tony holding a big snapper he had just caught on his long line at the Mangawhai surf beach......and it has the caption 'God is Good'. It makes me smile remembering that day.....and that is a GOOD thing!
Till next time..............
