Thanksgiving, Part II

Ah...Thanksgiving Day!  One of my favorite holidays of the year.  Its easy, its quiet, its chock full of tradition.  It a time when Americans pause, if only for the briefest moment of time to recognize what they have.  

So often I am just overwhelmed by it all.  Like when I am standing with 20, 000+ other people, my right hand placed deliberately over my heart, standing tall (well, not so tall) and proud, watching that beautiful flag blowing in the breeze singing that song that always causes me to stop and say, thank you.  Thank you Lord that I live in America.  Thank you.  For it all. 

Weather plays a large factor every year in the Manchester Road Race.  This year it was divine so people came out in droves....somewhere between 15,000 and 25,000 runners, with spectators lining both sides of the 4.78 mile course.  Its always such a festive atmosphere and costumes, music and smiles are in abundance.

There was a flyover before the official start.

Sienna and I at the starting line, which we crossed nearly nine minutes after the gun

My two sisters and my niece, in her rookie season.

This house is in the first mile...very questionable thing to be up on that roof having consumed as much alcohol as they have by 10 AM.

A dozen or so musical groups line the way, the bagpipes are among my favorite

The ever popular safety man...a staple.

Back at home, people were beginning to gather and Shaun had the turkeys well underway.  The girls were both pretty disappointed that I hadn't run the race.  :)

Shaun's sister and company were away so we had a smaller gathering (we missed you guys!) but we were so thankful to have the rest of Shaun's family there, particularly his grandmother and grandfather.

The kid table...happy to be with cousin Alayna.

 We watched a little football, a little UCONN basketball, played games, read stories and ate entirely too much.  Aiden said grace and summed it up well...thank you God for all the peoples here.  We are so very blessed.

Let the peace of Christ keep you in tune with each other, in step with each other. None of this going off and doing your own thing. And cultivate thankfulness. Let the Word of Christ—the Message—have the run of the house. Give it plenty of room in your lives. Instruct and direct one another using good common sense. And sing, sing your hearts out to God! Let every detail in your lives—words, actions, whatever—be done in the name of the Master, Jesus, thanking God the Father every step of the way.

Colossians 3:16