Just Leaves on the Table

Later today, my wife, my six children and I will sit together around our dining room table for my favorite part of the Thanksgiving holiday. No food will be on the table. Just a big pile of construction paper leaves that we've removed from our Thanksgiving tree. We'll then take turns around the table with everyone who can read taking a leaf from the pile and reading whatever is written on it. The words written on the leaves, which will range from "cars and trucks" to names of pets to favored scriptures to flower names to times of the day, all represent something that someone in our home was thankful for on a given day this month. Most will have been written by seven of the eight who will be assembled at the table (Holly, at 4 months, hasn't added any leaves); however, when folks stop by our house while the tree is up, we do sometimes invite them to add a leaf to the tree.

I think it's important to note that as we write and read our leaves, our thankfulness is not generic or just sort of floated out there. We are giving thanks to the one true God who created everything and blesses us with all good things. Although our leaf reading is far from solemn or quiet and indeed includes a lot of laughter as we try to read writing from the smallest hands (and my hands, I must admit), it's actually a prayer of Thanksgiving.

I probably should also acknowledge that I enjoy the Thanksgiving meal as much as anyone, and I value gathering around the table with family to feast on turkey and all the fixings. However, if I had to trade away either the holiday meal or the time we spend around our table at home considering how much we have to be thankful for, it wouldn't even be close.

God has given me so much to be thankful for, and this morning I'm especially thankful for our Thanksgiving tree.