Monday Menus

This weeks meal plan is fairly easy. Really just a couple big meals.

Monday: Spaghetti
Tuesday: Church wide Thanksgiving meal and Tree of blessing
Wednesday: Snacks
THANKSGIVING: Traditional meal
Friday: Leftovers

Each year our church does a traditional Thanksgiving meal. After the meal we all meet in the sanctuary and participate in the 'Tree of Blessing'. Each family, person, or group of friends comes up and has an ornament the symbolizes some blessing that they have received in the past year. Some of the blessings are lighthearted and fun and others are quite serious. It is such a great tradition for our family to listen to all the things that God has done not only for our family but for our church family too.

This year our blessing that we will share is our daughter Ella. That is a common blessing when families add a member. I hope we will be able to articulate the blessing though, because it is not just Ella. Of course we have been so blessed this year by Ella. More than we ever could have imagined. She is a wonderful joy and addition to our family but it is more than that. Through our adoption process God has given us such a clear understanding of what He did for us by adopting us into His family. I don't know that I could have fully understood it without the adoption process. Truly excepting one into your family, making them yours. Your complete responsibility. Pursuing them before they even realized their need. The sacrifice financially, emotionally, physically, mentally, and spiritually. Giving so much of oneself for someone that has done nothing to deserve the adoption any more than any other orphan. The symbolism is amazing. When I look at our daughter she truly is one of us. A part of our family just as much as any of our other children. I never would have thought I would love her so much or so completely. God is so good! And we are so blessed! Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!