In pictures, these were a few of my favorite JOY-filled moments from last week's Thanksgiving holiday with lots of our family...
Hendrickson cousins outside in our backyard playing together in the cool weather and fall leaves...
Running in the Walnut Turkey Day Dash on Thanksgiving morning with Sarah. We had to get up super early to be ready to run at 7:30 am in Emporia. It was cold! I saw a lot of old friends and familiar faces at the race, and we had two of our biggest fans there to cheer us on at the beginning and end of the race (my Mom and Dad). I even got to hear that old familiar sound of Ron and Virginia Boettcher ringing the big old cow bell to encourage runners along the route.
Sarah ~ 198th place overall out of 692 runners, 2nd out of 32 in her age division (females 1-9 years old), time 33:04.
Creating moments of JOY! I suggested getting out the train that Eric's Grandpa George Bowers had made years ago so that the great-grandchildren could take a ride... I was met with a few sighs and eye rolls, but it was SO worth it! Eric's Uncle Tony fired up the tractor to pull the train cars and all the men worked together to make this happen...
I rushed inside to tell Dorothy, Eric's Grandma, that the train was out and pulling her great-grandchildren around the yard and pasture. Her first words were to me, "Get my jacket." Then she got a big smile on her face! As she went out to watch the fun, she said, "Go tell Eric to give em' a real ride. Take em' into town on the road and past the school." The train brought smiles from ear to ear, from the littlest great grandchild to the grown-up biggest grandchild right on up to Dorothy!
They all took turns riding in different colored cars, the caboose, and driving the tractor.
Later on in the afternoon, Eric's Aunt Carla and Grandma Dorothy played the piano and we all sang and danced in the living room of Dorothy's house. Fun old songs and Christmas songs were enjoyed by all of us.
Creating MORE moments of JOY! The piano music. The singing. And, her great grandchildren sitting with her, singing with her, and having fun with her brought Grandma Great so much JOY.
The kids and I went to Oklahoma to spend time with my Mom's cousins and family. One of my best friends and cousin, Mendi and I share MANY great memories of growing up together. We loved to play with and collect Breyer Horses and I always loved helping her with all her animals and the times we spent riding her horses together. She has a son, Tyler, whom Silas adores. In fact I think he is Silas's newest BFF. We still had a little bit of daylight when we arrived so Tyler and Mendi took us over to their horses and let the kids pet and ride around the yard for a bit. They each loved it and cannot wait to go back and ride again for a longer time. (I remember that feeling too...getting to hang out with Mendi and ride horses...those will forever be some of my best times growing up and most favorite and cherished Thanksgiving memories of my youth.)
Thanks Mendi and Tyler! You made us all smile.
We stayed overnight at Mom's cousin, Melody and Duane's house. In the morning the kids got to check out some of their cattle....
And, when Silas spotted Duane's big green tractor, and asked for a ride, he couldn't stop smiling when Duane replied, with a big ole "YES". They climbed in, fired it up, and took off up and down the drive.
Phoebe was next.
And, then Sarah.
I squeezed in some target practice (clay pigeons) with my Dad, his cousin Jerry, and his daughter and grandson. This is another sport I enjoy. It lets me spend some fun times with my Dad and practice my Annie Oakley skills.
Lastly, the Hastings family gathered together to share a meal, visiting, and games. There is always an abundance of delicious food at Hastings gatherings, especially desserts. Silas loved seeing Jess and Johannah, and really missed Andrew and his fort building skills.
Family is truly one of life's greatest blessings, something that we should all treasure and be thankful for. Family can be a source of strength and happiness for each other or they can be hard to get along with, causing anger and grief amongst themselves and other family members. My hope is that your family is the first of those for you... a source of strength and happiness. People you can trust and look forward to being around whenever you may have the opportunity. People that you share a deep respect for, and share many memories with. These people, your family, and my family, are treasures. They are a gift from God to us. I hope you will reflect on your family and all of your family members this season, share JOY-filled moments with them, and be thankful for this gift in your life.
No comments:
Post a Comment