Everyday Living

We Gather Together

~ Autumn, Blog hop, Everyday Living, Faith, Thanksgiving

Happy Tuesday, sweet readers. Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays and I can’t believe how quickly it is approaching. I am joining twenty one table stylists for a Thanksgiving Tablescape Blog Hop hosted by my talented friend, Rita at Panoply!

“Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name!”
‭‭Psalm‬ ‭100:4‬ ‭ESV‬‬

If all goes as planned, my precious family will be seated around our table as “we gather together to ask the Lord’s blessing.” I remember as a child, in our small rural church, we always sang a song that contained this phrase on the Sunday before Thanksgiving. I hold many precious memories of that time and place! The song, titled “We Gather Together”, comes from the early 1600’s and most sources indicate the author is unknown.

Gathering with those I love the most is a gracious blessing from the Heavenly Father. It is especially meaningful this year. Last year I prepared my Thanksgiving meal and made deliveries to family members. It was the first time in eighteen years we had been unable to host nor were we able to gather as a family.

Did you notice that I have changed tablescape locations? Since last spring all of my tablesettings have been in the garden or the Sunshine Cottage. Today, I am back in the dining room to share a Thanksgiving table!READ MORE

Thanksgiving Tablescapes & Centerpieces

~ Autumn, Everyday Living, Faith, Thanksgiving

Happy Thursday! Can you believe that Thanksgiving is three weeks from today?

“I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart; I will recount all of your wonderful deeds.”
‭‭Psalm‬ ‭9:1‬

Thanksgiving is definitely a favorite holiday for our family. Have you made your plans, decided on a menu, figured out your table styling? I dug into the archives for a round-up of Thanksgiving tablescapes and centerpieces. I hope you will find ideas and inspiration!

To view the original posts, click the highlighted links.

This is one of my favorite Thanksgiving tables from a couple of years ago…a harvest table!READ MORE

Always Thankful

~ Everyday Living, Faith, Thanksgiving

WISHING ALL OF YOU A BLESSED THANKSGIVING

“… for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.”
-The Apostle Paul‭‭‭

Everyday living can be hard, hard, hard! God used a man named Paul to encourage us and others and teach us the key to having joy and being thankful, even in the worst of situations. In every situation, good or bad, he said “rejoice”.  He didn’t say be glad and thrilled over our situation, but here is what he said:

“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.”
‭‭Philippians‬ ‭4:4-6‬ ‭

The “key” appears to be his eternal perspective and his refusal to view life through an external, physical, earthly lens. He rejoiced “in the Lord” and could therefore be always thankful!

It is 2020. Probably that is enough said. We don’t always have the Apostle Paul outlook, but we know he was inspired to write what he wrote and empowered to live as he lived…so we are working on it! Sometimes I think the words to an old song fits us. It goes something like…we’ve got a long way to go and a short time to get there!READ MORE