The Shadows...

November seems to be flying by...a little too fast for my liking...but that's no different than any other month, really. Thanksgiving is coming up this week, and I'm looking forward to spending time with our families...I like that it's casual and more relaxed, no stress of choosing/buying/wrapping/lugging Christmas presents. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE Christmas, and everything that comes with it. But, I like Thanksgiving too...and can't wait for a couple days off of work to enjoy it.

This year, we introduced "Thank You Soup" at home - we've done it at Pop-Pop and Nana's house for several years now, but I thought it was time to do it in my own home too. So, I have a pot of ingredients that make up our Thank You Soup. It's been "simmering" for a couple weeks now, and the big kids have really gotten into it. So into it that I've run out of paper! (Note to self - cut more paper tonight). The rule is - no one looks at the ingredients until thanksgiving - then we read together all the things that we're thankful for. Here's a picture when we were just getting started...now it's just about overflowing!

So, I'm going to slow down and enjoy this week, then get crazy into Christmas! (PS - I do not decorate for Christmas before Thanksgiving, so we'll be spending much of the weekend after Thanksgiving spending more quality time together rolling out the Christmas stuff!) Can't wait!

This morning, we heard a great sermon that was focused on how to not get "lost in the shadows" - as I said, we love Christmas but don't consider ourselves crazy about the decorations, the gifts, the food, etc. We love it all, but I *think* we have a healthy appreciation for it. This morning, our pastor talked about Colossians 2:16-17, which says "Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ". This is a great reminder for me not just at the holidays, but in everyday life not to focus on the "shadow of what is to come", but the reality, which is "found in Christ". 

I'm keeping track of updates for my "month of thanks" but will post them all later. Most of all, I'm thankful that (I saw this quoted on Pinterest, of all places!) "I'm not perfect, but God thinks I'm to die for". :)