The girls swam to their hearts' content - mostly in the hot tub since the pool and the ocean were chilly.
Franz worked his way through three car magazines that had been collecting dust on his nightstand and had several naps in the shade.
Winston celebrated his 10th birthday during our trip, and enjoyed some nice romping on the beach, and lounging on the balcony.
I slept in as much as possible, did a little reading, had fun playing games with the family (watch out world - Madeline is quite the little Catan player these days!), and cooked up a Thanksgiving feast despite the fact that it is not an official holiday in Mexico. 
After we were done eating our Thanksgiving dinner, the food was still hot, and it was still early. We had lots of leftovers - turkey/wild rice/apricot casserole, green bean casserole, corn, sweet potato casserole, cranberry sauce, crescent rolls, and pecan pie. We loaded them up, still hot, and went to find someone to share them with. We asked a guy renting ATVs by the road if he knew of anyone who would like some food since we wanted to share what we were thankful for.
He took us to his father-in-law's house. It was pieced together out of bits of trash; the size of our living room, maybe. Dirt floors. One large white plastic chair, one child-sized green plastic chair. A table cobbled together out of pieces of wood. A TV. A rooster tied up inside. More than a dozen dogs and puppies running around outside. We probably brought him as much food as he sees in a month. He was very sweet, steady, smiling. The girls were in awe. Katie was mostly scared for the fate of the chicken tied inside. They wanted to bring home one of the puppies. I tell you what, it was the best Thanksgiving activity I've ever participated in.
Franz and I alternate between determination and anxiety on an hourly basis with this economy right now; the decisions we have to make and the impact those decisions will have on our future and on our business. It is hard not to be consumed with worry sometimes/all the time. But that was an immediate reminder of all we have to be thankful for, as well as an inspiration. This man had nothing. But you could tell he didn't worry. He took each day as it came. Instinctively, I have to fight myself to keep from trying to wrest control away from God. It was a good reminder that nothing I have is based on anything I deserve and nothing I have has anything to do with what I am worth.
Two weeks ago in church, at the end of the service, the pastor unexpectedly announced that they were collecting shoes to give to the needy. Right then. The ones we were wearing. We'd all come in feeling miserable and looking inward at our own problems. It's hard to have room left in your mind or heart for other people when you're completely stressed out. (Phoenix is one of the hardest hit economies in the country right now - very construction based market. Unemployment is sky rocketing, the average family is upside down in their house $50-100,000 if they purchased within the past five years, retail spending is tanking, banks aren't lending and are actually yanking credit lines to qualified businesses...) Suddenly, we had a wake-up call. There are people out there who are a lot worse off. For instance, they don't have shoes. No one in that service had only one pair of shoes, I'm sure. We all had far more than need would dictate. And so, the pastor called on us to shed our shoes and walk back to pick up our children and get in our cars...BAREFOOT. Can you imagine? I had a heart change walking to the front. Across the stage were hundreds of pairs of shoes while all around were families walking in sock feet or barefoot. Grinning. I had to wait in line for about 10 minutes because of the flood of people in line. Walking barefoot through the church, outside, picking up my kids, walking through the parking lot, driving, gave me a startling look into the everyday lives of millions of people. Shoeless people. Something so inconsequential that I purchase different colors and styles to match my outfits or moods: shoes. I can now tell you from experience that walking a mile (well not quite) in their "shoes" really hit home in a way that bringing in an extra pair of shoes from home would never have done.
So, I may be living in very uncertain times and circumstances right now, but I am beyond blessed.
So, Happy belated Thanksgiving.
1 comment:
This past weekend, the girls had the opportunity to give their shoes. It was announced that the adults had donated over 4000 pairs of shoes that were being shipped to Africa and Rocky Point.
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