Family times - good times - prayerful times = Thankful times times two!

In a way, I think that my Sunday blessing lists are some of my most thoughtful. All year long Sunday should be a special day - a day of thanking and praising and worshiping and family.

1. Surprises. Sometimes a surprise can be a blessing that is of such importance it gets to be number one on a list! I learned last week that my eldest son and his family will be making the 7.5 hour trip up here to spend Thanksgiving with the rest of us who don't live below the Mackinac Bridge. This is a big deal because it takes a bit of effort and organization for Dave and his wife, Becky, to pack their mini-van with four days of clothing, snacks and dog food and then pile in four children (one with a physical disability). This visit they will be bringing their new rescue dog (I'm dying to meet her, Mitsy). There will be lots of photos so check out the blessings for next week!
2. Mini donut machines. On Saturday morning my oldest grandson, Joe, and I made mini powdered sugared donuts in my Maxim donut bites machine. We chose to make Spiced Pumpkin (YUMMERS). As I did our morning dishes Joe took over the batter-making all on his own. There was time for visiting and discussing and bonding. Just the best feeling in all the world when your oldest grandchild still enjoys spending time with you - just the BEST. We have some of our most productive talks while we are puttering in the kitchen.
   
3. Prayer. Our communication with God. Our love songs to our Creator. Our way of having good, quality time with our Heavenly Father. Just as I treasure time with my children and grandchildren, I imagine God enjoys the time we choose to spend with Him. I know I thoroughly enjoy my conversations with Him.
4. Late Fall. A time to slow down even though the holidays are just around the corner. A time to reflect on the past year and to see if those gardens we planted earlier in the year bore fruit. Now, those gardens don't have to have their roots planted in soil out on the back forty - they can also be gardens planted in our soul or the souls of others. How did they turn out? Could there have been better fertilizer or maybe they needed more attention overall. A time to assess the past and to make promise that the future will be a tiny bit better due to the lessons of the past remembered.
5. Sunday dinner. A time in my childhood when my mother would bring out the nice dishes and cooked just a little more special. It was one meal of the week that was singled out as having more significance, more importance. If my married siblings were available Sunday was the day they arrived, family in tow, for all of us to sit at my parents' table to break bread. It felt good.

I'm taking part in an exercise during the month of November to list the blessings that encourage us give thanks. Take a peek on my sidebar. There are a couple of buttons that will take you to the blogs that are sponsoring this event. Believe me - when you do this, it really puts life into a more clear perspective.