The Secret to Thanksgiving is Joy

by Jan Drexler 

 

Of all the holidays we celebrate, Thanksgiving is one of my top three! I love everything about the day - food, fellowship, PIE! - but most of all,                                                           I love the REASON for this SEASON. 

We might think that the celebration of Thanksgiving started with the Pilgrims, but actually, believers have been setting aside days of Thanksgiving since Old Testament times.

The Pilgrims carried this tradition with them to the Plymouth colony in 1620, celebrating the first Thanksgiving in America in 1621 or 1622.

(For those of you with a calendar, that was 400 years ago!)

Here's one participant's description of that first Thanksgiving feast:

Far from being the joyless, dour folks that some people often portray the Puritans, their lives were full of joy and thanksgiving. Not only one day a year, but every day was filled with thanksgiving. 

The tradition continued with George Washington in 1789:

And with Abraham Lincoln in 1863:

One thing that I noticed about all three of these times of Thanksgiving is that they took place during or just after times of great hardship - the horribly difficult time of starvation and death during the first year after the Pilgrims landed, the war for independence that Americans fought against the British, and the American Civil War. Lincoln's Thanksgiving proclamation was given during the third wearying year of that bloody war.

How could they even think to give thanks during times like those? 

How can we even think to give thanks during times like these?

The secret is joy.

Several years ago I read Ann Voskamp's book, One Thousand Gifts. I was thinking about it recently and was reminded of the year I spent following her advice to find joy.

The exercise was simple. Every day, I was to write down three things that brought me joy. I started in 2014. I created a little diary and I was faithful - through January, February, March...

...and then March 30th came. The day my mother passed away.

This was a challenge - how could I find joy in this circumstance of my life?

The habit to find joy had been ingrained through the previous three months of that year, and I found joy in my thankfulness for the mother God had given me. Day after day I poured out my grief in counting the endless moments of joy I had known with her.

Moments I captured in Thanksgiving and Praise.

This Thanksgiving, my challenge to you is to find Joy in your circumstances, 

and give Thanks to God above!

Have a blessed Thanksgiving Day!

Our Seekerville Thanksgiving Table

My family had a tradition that I imagine is shared by many others as we gather to give thanks on Thanksgiving Day. Before diving into the turkey and all the trimmings, we joined hands in prayer and then shared what we were most grateful for that year.

I thought it might be lovely to gather us all around a communal Seekerville table and share that tradition.

I asked some of the Seekers to get us started.

Missy

This year, I'm very thankful my son just moved back to the Atlanta area on Sunday. We're thrilled to have him nearby once again!

Annie

I'm thankful for God's perfect timing this year on so many events, big and small. 

Ruthie

I am grateful for the everyday people God puts in my life. My family, my friends, the Seekers, the folks I can say anything to and not get into trouble. It's an absolute pleasure to be able to be just me... the ones who know my ins and outs and ups and downs and love me regardless. And that includes the friends I might not see for months or years... and yet still love. They never make me feel guilty! More reason to love them.

Erica Vetsch

I am thankful for my family, for new relationships forming, and for the many blessings God has given me.

Mindy 

I’m thankful for my family and God’s many blessings.

Carrie

I’m thankful that God is good even when life isn’t, even when the world is falling apart, even when I can’t see His plan - His heart can be trusted & for that I’m so grateful. 

Debby

I give thanks for all of you, dear friends, who are on this writing journey with me. May God bless you and your families abundantly. Happy Thanksgiving!

Mary

I remember the night I sold my first book at the ACFW Conference. Barbour Publishing … represented by Tracie Peterson, announced from the podium that they were offering me a contract. It remains one of the very best moments of my life.On that night when I got my first contract, I remember saying to someone, "I don't want to sell ONE book, I want a career."Later I couldn't believe I had the nerve, the--to me--arrogance to speak of a career after selling one little Heartsong.
But I said it. I wanted it. I hoped and prayed for it.This month Bethany House has offered me a new three book contract. It will be for my 66, 67, and 68th books.I will never take it for granted. I will never stop being stunned and amazed. I will never stop being thankful for having a career as a published author.

Jan

I'm thankful for so much, but especially for all of you. May you have a blessed and wonderful Thanksgiving! 

So, dear Seeker friends, we hope you will join us round the table as we raise our voices in a Thanksgiving prayer, and share what you are thankful for this year.

Thanksgiving Books and Blessings

I've gotten involved in something I've never done before.

And it has nothing to do with COWS.

I'm in a series with five other authors called

Thanksgiving Books and Blessings

The novellas (one is book length) release September 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6.

Mine is book #3 releasing on September 3rd. 

(it all seems so orderly it's almost like a poem!)

The books are not connected beyond all being historical and all being set around

Thanksgiving.

Our fearless leader Caryl McAdoo, who invited me into this series feels like Thankgiving is a a very special and very neglected holiday. She's been doing these series for a while now.

In fact there's a Thanksgiving Books and Blessings series 1 & 2 this year.

I'm in the 2nd collection.

It's been a fun and interesting process and frankly I think I'm the weak link.

But it's all Christian fiction and thus my co-authors are forgiving as I scramble to keep up with whatever they're doing now.

Thankful for the Cowboy

Hero Tom MacKinnon rides up driving a wagon with a second wagon trailing him. He and his sister want to be hired to build windmills. They’ll ask for very little money and, in exchange heroine, Lauren Drummond, newly widowed mother of four nearly grown sons, will help them learn to survive in the Sandhills of Nebraska. What to grow, what to hunt, how to build a sod house.

Tom’s windmills will save her ranch. Lauren needs three windmills on this drought year or her growing herd of cattle is going to die of thirst. She agrees to teach him the ways of the Sandhills, and to give him fifteen head of cattle.
She’s not ready to think of another man. But Tom changes her mind. His little sister and one of her sons find love together before Tom and Lauren do.

Thanksgiving Books and Blessings Series #2

Book #1 Texas Tears by Caryl McAdoo

Book #2 Mail-Order Misfire by Davalyn Spencer

Book #3 Thankful for the Cowboy by Mary Connealy

Book #4 Blizzards and Blessings by Samantha Bayarr

Book #5 Spring of Thanksgiving by Liz Tolzma

Book #6 These Great Gifts by Allison Pittman

 Today let's talk that neglected holiday Thanksgiving. What are your thanksgiving traditions. Are they all about food and family? Have you noticed how secular the holiday has become? Thankful FOR things but little mention of Thankful TO GOD.
What do you do to remember to thank God for all you have. And this is a challenge to me, too because I realized as I worked on this book how much time I spend thinking about the delicious way my son-in-law makes TURKEY! (two turkey breasts, one smoked, then roasted, then glazed with pecans, one deep fried. They are DELICIOUS.
But do I spend time thanking God for my wonderful son-in-law? My wonderful blessed life? Yes we say a heartfelt grace before we eat, but I know I fail to really, deeply thank God for how he's blessed me.
A free copy of Thankful for the Cowboy for one commentor. These are Kindle only!
Tell me how you make (or how you PLAN TO START MAKING) Thanksgiving about God.

AND A FREE BOOK

No Way Up is currently FREE in all ebook formats

No Way Up is book #1 in the Cimarron Legacy Series

Book 2, Long Time Gone

Book 3, Too Far Down 

Are at a reduced price

All for a limited time, so go grab a Kindle copy of

No Way Up

Even if you have it, I'd appreciate it if you got one.

It's currently sky high on the Amazon rankings and how fun is THAT?!!!

!!!!!

And to make this a completely self-centered blog

Here is a Publishers Weekly Review of my October Release

Aiming for Love

Coming in October

Book #1 of the Brides of Hope Mountain Series

Aiming for Love