Thanksgiving Dinner Oct 28 07

Posted in Multiply Oct 29 07

Last Friday, I went to my old office to say hello to my dearly missed friends, claim my last pay, and go through my exit interview. Upon seeing the check they issued me, my heart leapt. It was more than what I had envisioned it to be. Although our accountant explained the breakdown (and I really did deserve to get everything down to the last cent), it still felt like I got some extra money for no reason. It felt like winning in a raffle I didn't even know I joined.

Now this is now included in our already-long list of received-and-recognized blessings . What do I mean? Well, one Sunday morning, attending Richard's church service, the pastor said, "Why don't you make a list of all the prayers that God had answered in your lives?" So I did.

This year alone, there have been SO many blessings. So many. Let me rattle of some of the obvious ones: a) recoving from gall bladder surgery and getting out of the hospital debt-free (meaning, we paid for the hospital expenses on our own, without needing to borrow from anyone - even our parents); b) recovering (emotionally and physically) from losing our 2nd baby (hey, God said it isn't time yet for me to lose my figure again - hehehe); c) continued good health of Luis; d) celebrating Luis' first birthday; e) moving from TDS to NN; f) Richard's opportunity to move to another job (should he coose to, they're just waiting for him; g) our out-of-town leisure trips -- Tagaytay March 2007, Tagaytay May 2007, Tagaytay September 2007, The Farm at San Benito September 2007, Batangas 2007; h) our planned trips -- Cavite, Batangas November 2007, HK March 2008, etc. i) our new car; j) financial provisions, k) arrival of Baby Sky, l) like I mentioned, the last pay check that was way above my expectation, etc.

Whew, just SOME of the more obvious blessings.

Richard and I have always been a fan of having an attitude of gratitute. Every night when we pray, we thank God for every little thing! Everyday, we thank each other for every little thing we appreciate in each other and in each other's actions. It's not unusual for one of us to say to the other, "Bunny, thank you." And the other asks, "For what? (thought bubble: what good have I done this time?)"

Overflowing with much gratitude last weekend, we had the desire to take thanking to the next level. Instead of just each other, we want to thank our families as well. And show them we appreciate all their help and support. Initially, we thought of getting them individual presents but later on decided against it. We thought it best to gather everyone and have a "thanksgiving dinner".

We sent our families a text message inviting them to a thanksgiving dinner Sunday night. And we received all sorts of funny responses. Some were asking what the occasion was and why we were calling on everyone together. Some were speculating that there would be a big announcement (like me being pregnant again, mwahaha!). When we said it was for the many blessings we have been receiving this year, they simply couldn't believe it would just be that. We said that we were just very happy and wanted to share with them, our families, our appreciation of how much God has blessed us (and continuing to bless us).

There is just so much to be grateful for and just so many people to thank. We wanted to start with our families. We didn't want to wait for the next big occasion to celebrate with them and thank them. There doesn't have to be any occasion to show appreciation and gratitude. And that, to me, is what made our thanksgiving dinner more special. We threw the dinner before all the Christmas festivties set in so our families know that the dinner was really meant for them and not for anyone else.

So last Sunday, they were all there, in our tiny home. Feasting and celebrating. I think I broke my mom's heart when I confirmed that I really wasn't pregnant and we just wanted to thank them. Hehehe.

Cheers to God and his numerous blessings!