As you read this, we are traveling down to Chicago for the annual family gathering at my parent's home for Thanksgiving; aka the world series of food fests, the super bowl of gastronomical indulgence, the foodies pleasure palace and home of the elastic waistband. Ahh, the sublime pleasure of it all! There are equal parts noise and lot's of it, we're Italian after all, enough food and desserts to feed a small nation, wine, music and laughter! Frankly, from the time we arrive to the time we leave it's a blur. But, I wouldn't have it any other way! When our children were younger it was easy to pack them all up into our family suburban and fill them with enough snacks, drinks and games for them to play to indulge them for the five hour trip down. Our vehicle was full of activity and head counts every two hours when we stopped at rest areas for the bathroom breaks. As the kids got older games were replaced by ipods, portable dvd players, headsets, magazines and cell phones. There were even stretches of silence so my wife and I could visit and actually hear each other. But soon enough my wife who loves to nap, would dose off and leave me to my own thoughts and meanderings. Often times I would catch myself smiling as I recalled a memory of a past holiday that brought a special warmth to my heart. Whether it was my older brother's irreverent wit, my younger sister's always unedited opinion, my younger brother's analytical observations on the world around us or my parent's different versions of the same stories, the treasured moments are endless. Over the years we have added a few guests and family members in addition to the five kids, their spouses and seventeen grandchildren and here and there we lost a few too. Front and center of the additions are my Aunt Fran and Uncle Tom along with my cousins Tommy and Cary. But that will be a whole other column for another day. ;) We've seen the passing of my grandparents on both sides, my Uncle Don and just this past year our beloved father. And that is what brings me to the heart of my writing.
This is the first Thanksgiving without dad. The sting of his passing is still fresh in our hearts and minds. Each day that goes by I think of my dad and my mom's struggle to cope with out him. Each morning when I go downstairs to our ministry center sanctuary to read and pray, I say a special prayer for my mom and say hello to dad. Not seeing him or hugging him or sitting down for our precious visits together in the midst of all the activity has left a large hole in my heart. I remember when I walked into the funeral home and saw my dad for the first time since Thanksgiving of last year. How gut wrenching the emotion of his loss was. How final his passing was for me. But I clung to the hope of what Christ has promised us all. That the passing of our beloved saints is but a transition for those who love Him. It is not the final toll of the bell. All is not lost at the cemetery. The hole can be filled and praise God for that! You see my dad loved the Lord. He wasn't the most learned bible scholar or great theologian. He was a simple man with a huge heart for God and his family and friends. He is with Him now and I know it as surely as I breath. It is in that fact that I will stand contented in the midst of our family this year. We will raise a glass, tell some stories, laugh and probably shed a few tears. But dad is with us. I see him in my brothers and sisters, my mom, my nieces and nephews and my own family. You see the continued lineage of those who have given their lives to Jesus is assured. The end of our lives here is just the beginning of eternity with Him. With that assurance comes the grand reunion ahead for all who love Him too. I miss my dad immensely but my heart will be glad for the time to come. So when you sit down this Thanksgiving to your meal remember why we give thanks and to Whom we give it to. It will enable you give all the many tears for your heartaches back to the Lord for those that have left us for now! God Bless you all and Happy Thanksgiving.
Psalm 95 1-6
"O come, let us sing unto the LORD: let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation. Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto him with psalms. For the LORD is a great God, and a great King above all gods. In his hand are the deep places of the earth: the strength of the hills is his also. The sea is his, and he made it: and his hands formed the dry land. O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the LORD our maker."
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