Thanksgiving

Bryce's parents came to visit and it was great. I had to work on Thanksgiving eve but had some of the preparation done before: the cranberry sauce, pies and chopped vegetables for stuffing. Bryce and his mom made their homemade butter horns and then we spent Thanksgiving day cooking up a storm.

Tyce played in a singles ward turkey bowl that morning that almost ended in a brawl.

Before our feast this cute turkey made his debut. Some kids kept eating his face and others got upset and tried to make a new one. Some kids had no problem eating whatever plumage they liked while others furiously rearranged the vegetables to ensure perfect proportions. Maintaining this vegetable tray was a workout for the OCD among us.

A bird not meant to be eaten, apparently.

Mary set the table beautifully, as usual. We used our gold table cloth and the white china with the gold band. We had turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, gravy, cranberry sauce, butter horn rolls, orange jello, corn, and cranberry punch. It was great.

We all said what we were thankful for and we are truly a blessed bunch.

Al and Judy did some projects around the house for us and we were very appreciative of their talent and their willingness to help. They hung shelves and put a door handle on our closet. Last time they came they cleaned our garage!

I love reflecting on my blessings and spending time with the people I love.

Reverently and Meekly Now

I'm still here. November was a busy month. I have a lot to catch you up on . . . well, maybe not that much besides Thanksgiving (which was great).

Last Sunday we had an interesting sacrament meeting centered around the hymns. Bishop Hardy invited anyone who wanted to share a favorite hymn and what it meant to them. Then we sang one verse of that hymn; the person could specify which one. I have one hymn that is kind of my personal mission statement: How Firm a Foundation. But the one I chose to share is Hymn 185, Reverently and Meekly Now.

This is from the "old" hymnbook but the words are the same.

The reason I chose this one is because it was special to me as a young woman. I was a freshman in college and seriously contemplating the ordinance of the sacrament for the first time in my life. One week we sang this hymn and I was struck by the difference in the tone of the message; all of the others are of praise to our Savior but this one is written as though the Lord is speaking to us. His sacrifice became personal to me that day. These are the lyrics:

Lyrics

1. 1. Rev'rently and meekly now,
   Let thy head most humbly bow.
   Think of me, thou ransomed one;
   Think what I for thee have done.
   With my blood that dripped like rain,
   Sweat in agony of pain,
   With my body on the tree
   I have ransomed even thee.
2. 2. In this bread now blest for thee,
   Emblem of my body see;
   In this water or this wine,
   Emblem of my blood divine.
   Oh, remember what was done
   That the sinner might be won.
   On the cross of Calvary
   I have suffered death for thee.
3. 3. Bid thine heart all strife to cease;
   With thy brethren be at peace.
   Oh, forgive as thou wouldst be
   E'en forgiven now by me.
   In the solemn faith of prayer
   Cast upon me all thy care,
   And my Spirit's grace shall be
   Like a fountain unto thee.
4. 4. At the throne I intercede;
   For thee ever do I plead.
   I have loved thee as thy friend,
   With a love that cannot end.
   Be obedient, I implore,
   Prayerful, watchful evermore,
   And be constant unto me,
   That thy Savior I may be.

The fourth verse is the one I chose to sing, with the last line being my favorite: "that thy Savior I may be." He already paid the price. But so often we hold on to our pain, sin, grudges, or hurt and don't let Him take those burdens from us.

He is our Advocate with the Father; He wants us to succeed! I also love the line "I have loved thee as thy friend." As His friends, he wants us to have all that He has to offer us--forgiveness for our sins, relief from our burdens, and the hope of eternal life. His suffering in the garden and His agony on the cross were not just to fulfill the demands of justice, to put into motion the prerequisites for immortality. It was so much more that that. It was a love I cannot begin to comprehend.

Behold, I stand at the door, and knock; if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me. --Revelation 3:20

That day as a young woman I felt a little part of what it meant to be redeemed. I felt a gratitude and desire to take upon me the name of Christ in a way I had not ever felt before. Whenever we sing that hymn I'm taken back to that day when I realized I could be not just one of the countless beneficiaries of His sacrifice, but actually be called His friend.