Our best Thanksgiving

I became a Martha Stewart wannabe over the Thanksgiving holidays. I baked a pumpkin pie, sugar cookies, and made fudge. That was a first for me because I usually only make brownies or chocolate chip cookies. I'm a late bloomer, what can I say.

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving, and we've all decided that it was our best Thanksgiving. It was just the four of us, and after we ate, the girls helped our elderly neighbor and her son, put her Christmas decorations up. On Friday, we put our Christmas tree up, and the girls decorated it. They did a great job, and it looks beautiful. We taught Brooke how to play Rummy, so we played that one day. My husband had four days in a row off, which was nice. It was nice because the time seemed to go slowly.

After dinner on Thanksgiving, we went around the table saying what we were thankful for. Besides my salvation, which is what I'm thankful for most of all, I'm thankful for what the Lord has done in my family this year. He has brought us closer together as a family, and in September, He blessed us with a beautiful granddaughter.

He is teaching me to be thankful, and as a result, He is filling me with joy.

A Lesson in Submission

Last night my husband and I went out to eat for our date night. This is something we try to do if not weekly, at least every couple of weeks. It's always an enjoyable time, and it gives us a chance to discuss certain things without our daughters listening in. Because we were going to Target, he suggested we go to the place we normally go, but to a closer one. I like the tea better at the other one so we went there. Afterwards, we drove to Target to buy a roaster for Thanksgiving that they had on sale. I was afraid they wouldn't have one, and we didn't see them at first. My husband went to their customer service counter, talked with someone and I was going to call them today after their trucks came. While he was doing that, I stayed behind to look at tea pots, and things like that. On our way out of that section to head home, his eyes fell upon not only one roaster, but four of them. I was so thankful he saw that.

Before we had gone to Target, we stopped at the grocery store. We were in need of batteries for our card shuffler. I saw some batteries, and he said we should get them at the dollar store because they were cheaper there. We walked out of the grocery store with the batteries.

We have had a headlight out on our van that I had forgotten about. On our way home, as we approached the light where we turn left, I saw on the other side of the road a police car suddenly turn on their blue light. That was the third blue light we saw last night, two others had gotten stopped, and looked like they were in the process of being given a ticket. We talked about how the police officer had ruined both of their nights. So, when I saw the blue light go on, my first thought was how he was going to ruin that person's night. Much to my horror, he did a u-turn. Even then it didn't occur to me that he could be after us because I knew my husband wasn't speeding. As we turned left, suddenly it dawned on me that we had a headlight out, and he might be after us. I hesitantly asked him if the police car was behind us, and he said yes. I couldn't see the blue light on, so I asked him if he saw one, he didn't see one either. We drove a little further, and he still hadn't stopped us. At first, I thought it was because it's a small two lane back road, and there was nowhere really to stop. As you drive further on though, there are new subdivisions being built, so I thought for sure he would stop us there, but he still wasn't. As I stated in my other post, my husband is easy going, and nothing worries him. I, on the other hand, am the opposite of him. I was sitting there with my stomach in knots, wondering how much a ticket was for a headlight that was out, and was thinking that it was the worst possible time to get a ticket. He told me not to worry because if he hadn't stopped us by then, he probably wasn't going to. He added that they usually give warnings the first time. I still sat there with my stomach in knots, until he made another turn a couple of miles later.

After he turned it hit me, and with a sinking feeling I remembered that he wanted to buy a headlight about a month ago when we were at Wal-Mart. Finances were a bit tight then, so I said we needed to wait until we saw how much we had left. We left there without the headlight. With more of a sinking feeling, I remembered the batteries (and that they had them at Target for dollar too I pointed out to him when we got there), and then his suggestion earlier of going to the other place near Target. I was kicking myself inside knowing that I had done it AGAIN. Not only ONCE, but THREE TIMES last night. The Lord used that police car to show me my sin of not submitting to my husband, not yielding to him. I sat there wondering if I was ever going to get it. My disobedience to my husband could have cost us a ticket. I was so ashamed of myself, and have determined in my heart, with the Lord's help, not to do that again. Obeying God, by submitting and yielding to my husband, is much more preferable to me than having my own way, and then feeling ashamed when I sin that way again.

Honoring our Husbands

Honoring my husband is something I've been thinking about alot in recent weeks. I admit that in the past I've done more than my share of dishonoring my husband to others, and am ashamed of it. I repented of that some time ago, and am seeking ways that I can honor him. It's a shame that I didn't learn this until I was in my 40's. One of my prayers is that by the time my daughters get married, they will have learned the importance of honoring their husbands, and speaking well of him to others through my example, however imperfectly I am at doing that sometimes.

The Amplified Version of 1 Peter 3:2 says it this way:

1 Peter 3:2
When they observe the pure and modest way in which you conduct yourselves, together with your reverence [for your husband; you are to feel for him all that reverence includes: to respect, defer to, revere him--to honor, esteem, appreciate, prize, and, in the human sense, to adore him, that is, to admire, praise, be devoted to, deeply love, and enjoy your husband].

I don't know if it's because I've been thinking about the issue of honoring my husband lately, but I've become more aware when wives dishonor their husbands to others, whether it be over the Internet, by phone, or face to face. It's something that bothers me a great deal.

Pro 14:1 Every wise woman buildeth her house: but the foolish plucketh it down with her hands. (KJV)

Pro 14:1 The wisest of women builds her house, but folly with her own hands tears it down. (ESV)

The foolish woman tears her house down, and one way she does that is through dishonoring her husband. Several years ago when I was in my 30's, an older woman was talking to me about her husband, and added "that stupid Jack." At the time, I knew little to nothing about my role as a wife to my husband. But that comment disturbed me, and with that one comment, the respect I had for this lady disappeared. She was well into her 60's, and I never thought about her the same again.

Pro 12:4 An excellent wife is the crown of her husband, but she who brings shame is like rottenness in his bones.

Which type of wife do we want to be? An excellent wife, one who is a crown to her husband, or one who brings him shame? A wife who builds her house, or one who tears it down with our words, and actions?

I want to publicly thank my husband for being a hard worker, and for being faithful. He works hard so that we can have a roof over our heads, food to eat, and a bed to sleep in. When times have been tough financially, he has worked two jobs so that I could stay at home, and take care of our home, and train our daughters. He's easy going, nothing ruffles his feathers, which is unlike me since I tend to let things distress me. He opens car doors for me, as well as other doors. We celebrated our 18th year of marriage on October 24th, and I can say that I am blessed, and pray that we have many more years together.