Repost November 25, 2021
Good Morning!!!
I hope you are all well and happy this lovely Thanksgiving morning! Over the past few weeks, I’ve been compiling a Thankfulness List, each day adding a new thing that started with a letter of the alphabet. I’m going to share that today… Also, as a special thank you, to all my dear readers, I’m sharing a snippet from my current WIP (which is currently untitled). If you remember, over a year ago I shared a little story that I started writing. This WIP was half-ish inspired by that – but with a lot of changes. You probably won’t even see a connection, but just letting you know I am continuing that! 👏
Philippians 4:6 – do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.
1 Chronicles 16:34 – Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever!
1 Thessalonians 5:18 – give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
Psalm 95:2 – Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!
Psalm 28:7 – The Lord is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts, and I am helped; my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to him.
Psalms 1:9 – I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart; I will recount all of your wonderful deeds.
1 Timothy 4:4 – For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving
My Thanksgiving Alphabet List – Nov 2021
Apricots
Babies
Candles
Dresses
English Muffins
Fireflies
God’s Promises
Health
Inspiration
Joy
Kiwi
Light
Mountains
Night Sky
Oreos
Puppies
Quiet
Redemption
Smiles
Tea
Uncommon Pizza
Violin
Words
Xmas
Yams
Ziploc Bags
Snippet from my WIP
Disclaimer – Unedited, 1st draft
“Korra! Slow down!” Alina’s bare feet swished in the tall grass as she ran after me, panting for breath.
“This is a game of tag, Silly,” I shouted over my shoulder. “You don’t just slow down and let others catch you.” Of course I wasn’t going full speed anyway, but my eleven-year-old sister didn’t know that.
“I do!”
I laughed, “Well maybe you won’t next time since you can’t catch anyone.” The woods were looming ahead so I turned back and darted out of Alina’s grasp as she reached out for me.
“Ugh, Korra! You’re the fastest runner in all Cordrias! No one can catch you!”
I chuckled, “Don’t exaggerate, Lynn!” I could see the other game players standing around the cottage. “Go get someone else!”
“No, I have to get you, because no one else will. They all get the easy people.”
Alina’s persistence deserved to be rewarded, so I dropped my dress and tripped over the long hem, tumbling to the ground.
“I got you!” Alina fell over me, clasping her arms around my shoulders.
“Off, off, please!” I pushed against her. “You got me! Get off!”
Alina rolled off and collapsed in the grass beside me. Her breath came in tiny little gasps, but she had an enormous smile on her face.
I laughed and turned my eyes from her to the sky, squinting at the bright sunlight that warmed my face.
“Aren’t you going to go catch anyone?”
“I will. The kids will always be up for a game of tag, but the sky won’t always be so blue!”
Today was the first day of Asiya, and the rainy season could start anytime. Usually the first rain came upon us so fast, we didn’t even have time to get inside without first getting soaked.
Alina was quiet. “Do you ever wish it would never rain again? Or that there was no such thing as Winter?” She asked timidly.
“Yes,” I smiled, “And it’s not bad to wish for those things, Lynn, but have you realized what would happen if we never had rain again?” I raised myself up and leaned on my elbow.
“Well, it wouldn’t be that big of a deal. Halfway through summer we have to irrigate anyway. Why not just irrigate all summer?”
“If it never rained, there wouldn’t be any water to irrigate with! The lakes in the mountains would be dry. And the trees and natural plants wouldn’t grow either.”
“Then why didn’t Jehovah make it so they didn’t need rain? Life would be so much easier! No mud, no thunderstorms to scare little children,” She shivered, “No dark clouds, no canceled plans, just always beautiful weather like this!”
“If we always had weather like this, don’t you think you would get a little tired of it? You wouldn’t appreciate how beautiful it is, because you’d see it every day.” I heard giggles running towards me. “Lynn, Jehovah made a wonderful world, don’t take it for granted. It’s the rain that makes us appreciate the sunlight, and it’s the cold that makes us love the warmth!”
Alina seemed deep in thought, but she smiled a little.
“Now, I’m going to go get some of those giggling monsters!” I said loudly as I jumped to my feet. Beckett and Evie screeched and clutched each other. “You’re supposed to run,” I waved my hands, “Shoo, or I’ll catch someone else!”
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“Mother, where’s the sugar?” I searched the cupboards, looking for the second bag.
“Um, turn around and look behind you,” Mother smiled as she walked into the kitchen, baby Kenzie on her hip.
I spun around, spotting the bag on the table. “Ahh, there it is.”
“I am planning to bake cookies tomorrow, so I’ll probably need you to run for flour.”
I nodded, scooping some sugar into the bowl and stirring. My younger brother Tate was turning sixteen today, so I was making him an apple pie to celebrate.
“Hopefully, it won’t rain before then. I think we are stocked up on everything except flour.”
Kenzie pointed a chubby finger, a huge smile lighting her face, “Ora, Ora!”
“Hey, sweetie!” I stepped over and gave her a kiss on the cheek before returning to my pie. “Are you making Grandma’s cookies, Mother?”
“Always,” Mother smiled knowingly. “Why? Don’t you think I can?”
I laughed, “I’m not seven anymore!”
Mother joined in my laughter, “I’m never gonna let you forget that, you know.”
“Yes, and I’m glad you won’t,” I smiled.
I washed up a few apples and began chopping them. Mother stirred the pot of soup over the fireplace and returned to her mending at the kitchen table. I always marveled at how quickly she moved that needle in and out, keeping her stitches in a perfectly straight line. Baby Kenzie toddled across the floor to me and clutched my dress.
“Mother, can she have an apple slice?”
Mother glanced up a moment, “Yes, just watch her carefully.”
I bent down to eye level with my 17-month-old sister and held out a small bite of apple. “Here, sweetie!”
Kenzie grabbed the piece and stuffed it in her mouth, gurgling happily. I stood and returned to my pie, careful not to knock over the child who still grasped my apron.
The pie finished, I picked up Kenzie and stepped outside to grab three logs from the woodpile.
“Vamia!” I called to my 13-year-old sister as she ran past, a line of children at her heels.
“What do you need?” She continued running, throwing the question over her shoulder.
“Please watch Kenzie,” I set the toddler down and hefted the wood into my arms. I smiled a thank you when Vamia snatched up Kenzie as she ran by.
I stacked the wood onto the rough wood floor by the stove and fetched the iron and flint from the cupboard. Placing a log into the bottom of the oven I began to strike the iron to the flint until the flame caught the wood and began to burn. I placed another log in with it and returned to the counter to clean up while I waited for the oven to heat.
After I had placed the pie in the oven, I grabbed a pail and hurried out the back door to fill it at the well. Father always liked if we had a bucket of water on hand just in case something caught fire from the oven. We were fortunate to have an oven in the house, and it made cooking a lot simpler in the winter time, but we had to be very careful to keep the fire contained. On my way back in I met Father coming from the barn.
“Evening, Father,” I smiled up at him.
“Good Evening, Cookie.” Father took his hat off and ran a work-worn hand through his hair.
Father had been calling me Cookie ever since I was a little girl, but I still couldn’t hold back a grin when I heard it. “How is the farm today?” I asked. Father had been up before dawn this morning to check everything.
“Ready for rain. The fields are worked and the wheat and lavender are planted.” Father reached out and took the bucket from my hands, wrapping a sweaty arm around my shoulders. “The boys and I just finished patching up the barn roof, so it doesn’t leak. You ready to be cooped up inside again?”
“No,” I laughed, “but I’ll cope. I do love the rain.”
“What about the rain?” My older brother jogged up beside me.
“I love the rain,” I repeated, “It’s so calming and afterwards everything is so green and refreshed.”
Ryder shrugged, “But after such lovely weather this month, it’s always hard to go back to living in the house.”
“I think I’m offended,” I scowled teasingly.
Father chuckled and Ryder grinned at me, “Why? You’re not the one who built it.”
I quirked an eyebrow, “That’s not what I meant.”
Ryder winked, “I know.”
I rolled my eyes as Ryder opened the back door and we all stepped inside.
Mother looked up from her mending and smiled at her men as Father placed the bucket by the oven.
“Smells good,” Ryder commented.
Father kissed his wife and took a seat across from her. “Do you need anything before the rain comes?”
“All I need is flour, but I was going to send Korra for that tomorrow. Unless you were making the trip anyway.” Mother tied the thread on a pair of Beckett’s pants and picked up one of Evie’s dresses.
“No, I was hoping to take the boys and stock up on more firewood. After the rain, it will take a lot longer for things to dry out. We are cutting it close, but hopefully Jehovah will hold off the rain until tomorrow evening.”
“Can you handle going to town by yourself?” Ryder yanked one of my braids.
“Humph,” I placed my hands on my hips and glared at him, giving him no response.
Father smiled, “Of course she can. Unfortunately, we won’t have any horses available for you. With Nasima so close to foaling, you can’t take her, and the three of us will have the others.” Father rubbed his beard, thinking for a moment.
“I don’t mind walking, Father, it’s only a mile.”
“Just take your dagger with you. You never know what you may meet in the woods.”
I nodded solemnly. I’d already seen Father kill a bear once, and Ryder had sliced a snake right in two with a well-placed throw. All I had ever killed was a tree; Father made us practice throwing and jabbing so we would have good aim if the time ever came. He also made the boys practice sword fighting regularly and all of us were killer shots with a bow and arrow.
“Korra, why don’t you call everyone in for dinner? The soup should be warm enough by now.”
I stepped back outside, and paused for a moment, marveling at the beauty of the setting sun. I didn’t see any of the children so I headed around back. Tate was coming out of the barn.
“Tate, you have hay all through your hair,” I tried to hold in a laugh.
“Yeah, I was mucking out all the stalls and a spy in the loft dropped a gift on my head.” Tate combed the straw out with his fingers.
“A spy?” I placed my hands on my hips.
“Yes ma’am,” Tate saluted me and then went on. “They are playing some kind of game with spies and young girls who need rescuing and what not.”
I laughed as Tate turned and walked toward the house. I tiptoed the last few steps to the barn and slowly pushed the door open. I heard voices whispering and giggling, and then the door gave an awful creak and everything went silent. With my plans ruined, I stepped into the barn and called out, “Dinner time everyone! Wash up and head inside!”
Heads popped up from the hay in the loft and grinned down at me.
“You interrupted our game,” Kieran frowned.
“Sorry, buddy, but spies have to eat too, you know.”
Kieran shrugged and started to climb down, the others lining up to follow him.
“Vamia, where’s Kenzie?” I asked as the girl stood up holding no baby.
“Umm, Alina has her.”
“Cason, please use your spy skills and go find Alina and Kenzie. Tell them it’s dinner time and escort them in.”
Cason nodded and dashed out the door. I made sure all the kids were out of the barn and then peeked in on Nasima.
“Hey girl,” I rubbed her face soothingly, “Are you getting uncomfortable yet?”
Nasima nuzzled her nose against me and breathed softly on my hand. Nasima was due anytime and all the children were very eager to see her baby.
“You do well, girl. You’ve done this before. Yes, good girl.” I gave her one last rub and then headed toward the house, closing the barn door behind me.
“Korra!” Vamia met me at the door, “Oh, there you are. Mother says the pie needs to be checked.
I gripped my apron and pulled the paddle out of the oven and gingerly touched the pie. Cason had found the girls and everyone was seated at the table waiting for me. I lifted the pie up and placed it in the center of the table.
“No one touch, it’s hot,” I warned the little ones, eyeing Beckett closely. He grinned sheepishly when he caught my look. I slid the paddle back in the oven and closed the the oven up with a slab of rock. Deprived of iron, the fire would die out.
I took a seat between Ryder and Alina and we all held hands as Father offered the blessing.
“Jehovah, thank you for the lovely sunshine we had today. May we always remember your goodness, even when life isn’t so sunny. Help this food to give us strength to finish out the day and protect us while we sleep. In Jehovah’s name, Amen.”
Father stood and one by one we passed our bowls to him and he filled them up with soup. When we finished eating, Tate was given the honor of cutting the pie and dishing a piece to everyone. After we sang a birthday song and enjoyed the pie, Father disappeared outside and came back in a few minutes later holding something behind his back.
“Stand up son,” Father instructed Tate. We all knew what the gift was, but it was still a solemn and exciting moment. Father laid a hand on Tate’s shoulder and looked him firmly in the eye. “I’m proud of you, my son. You are becoming a very honorable young man. Your Mother and I pray for you daily.” He squeezed Tate’s shoulder and then brought the sword from behind his back. It was wrapped in a fine leather sheath, and the hilt was a beautiful golden color with a beautiful purple diamond in the center, a symbol of Jehovah. Tate grasped the hilt with both hands, but Father didn’t let go.
“This sword is to be used to defend, not to harm. Use it to protect, not to kill.” Father let go of the sword. He held out a hand and Tate grasped it firmly, then Father pulled him into a hug and whispered something in his ear.
“Thank you, Father,” Tate’s voice was husky. We all clapped and cheered and Ryder slapped his younger brother’s back with a grin.
After the ceremony, Vamia and Alina cleared all the bowls and I washed them in the basin of soapy water. Cason dried them and Ryder helped Kieran stack them in the cupboard.
When the last of the bowls were dried, Ryder carried the basin of water out back and dumped it. We all joined the rest of the family in the living room and settled on stools or the floor around the fireplace. I took up Mother’s mending, Vamia and Alina entertained the little girls, Tate and Cason began a game of checkers and Kieran and Beckett built castles and farms with the toy blocks and animals Father had made years ago when Ryder and I were busy toddlers. Ryder worked at whittling more bowls to replace old ones or to sell for some extra money. Father mended a horse bridle and Mother read aloud from Jehovah’s Word.
Several verses jumped out at me as Mother’s clear, sweet voice brought the words to life,
“So do not fear, for I am with you. And do not be discouraged, for I am Jehovah. I will strengthen you and help you. I will carry you with my righteous hand. All those who war against you will be ashamed. Those who oppose you will be as nothing and perish. Though you search for you adversaries, you will not find them. Those who have opposed you will be as nothing at all. For I am Jehovah, who takes hold of your hand and speaks to you, “Do not be afraid, for I will come to your rescue.”
After several chapters, Father nodded to Mother and she closed the book. We all laid aside our projects and gathered around Father and Mother, as Father prayed for us. Then we all received hugs and kisses from both of them and headed up the ladder to the loft. The loft was divided into two sections, a curtain separating them. The boys slept on the left and girls slept on the right. It was small and snug, but we learned to make do.
I helped a sleepy Evie put on her nightdress and tucked her into bed beside Alina. I slipped my own dress on, wishing the loft had windows so I could look out and see the stars. But during the cold months it was hard to keep a draft out, and windows were hard to make airtight. I crawled into bed and closed my eyes, a smile still on my lips as I thought about Jehovah’s promise. “Do not be afraid, for I will come to your rescue.” I whispered to myself. Jehovah was always nearby if I needed help. I fell into a peaceful sleep.
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Hope you enjoyed that! What are a few things you are thankful for today?
Happy Thanksgiving all! -autumn
Bursting Through The Darkness 