Thanksgiving in England

My family gathered at long tables, a fire blazing (always huge, no matter the Florida weather), lots of laughter and feeling like I'll bust at the seams - these are my most common Thanksgiving memories. Needless to say, this Thanksgiving was very different - my first away from family (besides Kurt) and in another country. Kurt and I definitely made the most of it though.

I requested the day off and we went into central London in the morning to meet up with our friend AJ from SoCal (and his entire family later on). We first visited Sacred Cafe, a kiwi cafe introduced to us by our kiwi friends, wandered through shops, had lunch at O'Neills, and then ate an incredible Thanksgiving meal at Bodean's BBQ. Turkey, ham, stuffing, mashed potatoes, pumpkin pie, root beer - the whole 9 yards. If it weren't for some conversation about life in London, I would have completely forgotten where I was. I felt so at home - there was even American football playing in the background. When we got home, I even got to Skype with my entire family back home.

I woke up today feeling so refreshed. A little taste (more like a big one) of home goes a long way. And I was reminded of how blessed I am to be here. I'm learning and experiencing new things every day.

How was your Thanksgiving? Did you go shopping today? After work I started making ornaments! Here's my first:

MJ

Update + Happy Fall Finds

This last week flew by! I began my new job and it seems everyday when I get home I'm too tired to think about grocery shopping and laundry much less blogging. But here I am with a bit of an update all the same - I miss blogging. :-)

Working has been fun. I'm glad I chose to do retail instead of a desk job, it allows me to experience the culture more and have all sorts of random conversations with people about life. Sometimes being here doesn't seem so different after all, besides the moments when I accidentally talk in dollar amounts instead of pounds or use the word holiday and they think I'm talking about vacationing. It's also weird to be the the one with the foreign accent. I'm not sure why it's still a big deal, seeing as London is so integrated, but I guess there aren't many Americans here.

The weather has really taken a turn the last few days. Today marked the gloomiest of all since arriving. I have to admit, it got to me a bit. I wondered how people live here permanently. You'd have to have a thick emotional skin; I'm not convinced I do ;-). 

It's hard to believe Thanksgiving is right around the corner! I'm getting pretty excited for the abnormal occasion that it'll be. Thankfully, we'll get a little taste of home still. We plan on celebrating with our friend AJ from CA and his parents. Not exactly sure what the plans are, but if they involve familiar faces and food, I'll be pretty thankful ;). What are your thanksgiving plans?

Here are some pins that just scream "happy fall" (and/or "buy me") that I found this week.

MJ

Sunday Thoughts on Giving Thanks

At our church in California a couple months ago, I complimented a lady's huge diamond ring. She replied, "Oh thank you. God is so good!" I was a little thrown off by her response. How often do you hear someone thank God when you compliment them on a material thing like jewelry? Later that day I saw her pull away driving a BMW. I told Kurt, "that lady has a huge ring and she drives a BMW, it's kind of funny because she looks like someone who's been through a lot in life. I wouldn't expect that." Later I learned that she'd been abused in a previous marriage and had indeed had a rough life. In recent years though, she'd married a wonderful Christian man who's loved and blessed her life. It made me smile and realize just how genuine her gratefulness was. It wasn't just that she had an enormous ring, it was that she was being redeemed.

This got me thinking, why is griping easier than verbally giving thanks? Maybe we're so accustomed to grumbling that it feels awkward to actually say, "I'm doing great, thank the Lord!" I don't know about you, but sometimes I'm afraid of being perceived as a corny, fake Christian that's always happy-go-lucky. Also, I've found that it's very difficult to be thankful if I don't really believe God has saved me, is and has taken care of me and is going to allow me to reign with him in glory. I think this is probably the ultimate reason being genuinely grateful can be difficult - it requires a humble heart that knows it's place in the universe. It's a testimony of your experience of and belief in God's love.

In the times I am grateful, I find myself letting go of insecurities, identifying areas of self-deception and finding boldness, that I know only comes from the Holy Spirit, to act and speak in love. The world comes into clearer perspective, needs around me are more apparent and my heart is full of compassion when I am thankful. I need to work on building my faith and letting my thanks giving be a testimony of God's goodness.

Just some thoughts I've had recently. It helps to put things in writing sometimes...and I hope this encourages or helps you in some way too.

Happy Labor Day everyone...don't labor too much ;).



Michaela Rae