Remembering Thanksgiving 2020

Photo by Mary Catherine Meirink - Arcadia, MO October 2019

Thanks for stopping by! It is Thanksgiving Eve 2021. I am re-posting my letter from last Thanksgiving 2020. I wanted to keep it here to remember the goodness of God in what was a challenging 2020 year. In the next day or two I will write my letter for 2021. Until then… here goes ❊

Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

1 Thessalonians 5:18

I allowed the warmth of my coffee cup to comfort me. It’s little things like that which came to mind as I thought of you today. I sat quietly wrapped in my plaid Eddie Bauer blanket (that I am still snuggled in as I write). What could I say that would come out of my heart in such a way that it would touch your heart?

Really… it’s the same thing it’s been with me all along. I don’t have a lot of fancy words, but the words I do have are tested and true. I have found the Lord to be faithful and good. He has consistently revealed His unseen presence in every step together. It wasn’t always the way I preferred, but He has definitely been my help in time of need.

This is not about me though, at least I don’t want it to be. I want this post to be about you. It’s Thanksgiving 2020, a crazy sort of year with too many challenges to list. Yet! Here we are… connecting in… A post. A letter. A moment. If that’s all that happened, then all is good.

Lest I get overly philosophical (which I tend to do), I’ll go straight to the point. It’s the little things that matter. Seriously. I know that sounds like a Pollyanna Instagram post. Please trust me when I say, Pollyanna is a lot harder to do sometimes than being a Grinch. It takes effort to see the sunshine behind an overcast cloud. It is still shining though. It takes effort to thank God for a White Castle meal when eating “alone” with strangers because you have no one to be with. It is still a meal though.

I do not want to make lightly of anyone’s pain or sorrow. Only Jesus understands the depth of what you have been through. My hope is to sit alongside you for just a moment and say… I hear your pain – even if it is from a distance. Yet Jesus is not distant. It may feel that way. But He is there.

Perhaps He is reaching out through this letter. The fact that you are still reading means something is connecting. What is touching your heart? Most importantly… Who is touching your heart?

I rambled and that’s okay. It is what it is. I hope that somehow it mattered on this overcast Thanksgiving Day of 2020. I hope you see the sunshine behinds the clouds. I hope you enjoy out of the ordinary food, even if it is White Castle. I hope you feel the warmth of a coffee cup in your hands that reminds you of the warmth of God’s love.

You are in my heart and prayers today… and always

Happy Thanksgiving!

Mary ♡