ReDESIGNS by Ava: Be Thankful

BY AVA LEWANDOWSKI

“Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend.  Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.” ~ Melody Beattie

COVID has changed our lives in 2020, and many of our holiday celebrations may look different this year as we continue to social distance. Let’s look forward to this season of Thanksgiving and keep the above quote in mind as we celebrate with an attitude of gratitude.

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. It makes me sad that it doesn’t get as much press as Halloween and somehow just gets passed over because everyone is rushing toward the Christmas shopping season. Seems the moment Halloween is over, orange becomes red, spider webs become garlands, and Frankenstein becomes Santa Claus. So what happened to Thanksgiving?

It may be all about commercialism ….on Halloween, you sell costumes and candy……on Christmas, you sell everything else. On Thanksgiving …well, it’s just turkey. Just maybe the reason Thanksgiving gets passed over is, “You can’t sell thankfulness.”

In 1621, the first Thanksgiving, Pilgrims and Native American Indians gathered to thank God. They had endured many hardships that first year in a new country. During the Civil War, President Lincoln, in 1863 proclaimed Thanksgiving an annual holiday. His proclamation began with the following sentence:

“The year that is drawing to a close has been filled with the blessing of fruitful fields and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come, others have been added, which are so extraordinary a nature that they cannot fail to penetrate and soften even the heart which is habitually insensible to the ever-watchful providence of Almighty God.”

Conditions were hard for the Pilgrims and Native American Indians, as it was for the people enduring the destruction and loss of life brought on by the Civil War. Our ancestors knew the importance of taking time to be thankful for their blessings. In just a few weeks, families will gather, food will be prepared and enjoyed, ballgames will be watched, and hopefully, time will be set aside to be thankful to God for His goodness and faithfulness.

When I was a little girl, my mom gave me the job of setting the table before the family meals. I loved referring to mom’s red and white check Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook for help to set the table properly. In this fast-paced world, you may be too busy to set the table or you are eating out….or maybe aren’t sure how to set a table properly. This Thanksgiving, take time to set your table properly. Here are diagrams I found at realsimple.com  that will be a quick reference guide.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Need help with a new decorating project or tips for making the most of what you have? Call soon to make an appointment.

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