Every generous act of giving, with every perfect gift, is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.

James 1:17

Thanksgiving sure has shifted in the past few years. We had all the good food; we spent hours in the kitchen together, preparing; Rebekah got creative, delving into “Cooks Illustrated”; we pulled out the good china.

Then we took everything next door to mum and dad’s house for the feast.

But it was just the four of us. Miami is a long way away, and Bahrain is the other side of the world.

Regardless, the point is that we are grateful, and all the things I talked about in yesterday’s ThanksGratitude post are just the beginnings of a long litany of blessings.

But I’d be lying if I didn’t say that I missed the noise and the life and the chaos and the long tables full with friends and family… and especially our children.

Of course we have seen everyone via video chat – Andrew, Alicia, and Mr. T.; Naomi, Craig, David, Beks, and Geoffrey. And Rebekah has talked with her family.

So today’s “Photo-Friday” offering will feature a few of the visual cues that remind us of how beautiful it is to be “A Thankful People.”

1. David and Beks, big Thanksgiving smiles.
2. Craig and Naomi – same.
3. All three children, shopping!
4. Rebekah with the first official Advent decoration (Thanks, Chris and Clark).
5. Some Thanksgiving cooking.
6. A little plate of goodness.

In love, and because of love – DEREK