This year I have been reading my way through a devotional book entitled Moments Together for Couples by Dennis and Barbara Rainey.  Friends from college, Dennis is the president, CEO and founder of Family Life, a division of Campus Crusade for Christ;  Barbara is a Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority sister.  Together they have six children.  And I thought it was a huge task to raise just one!

I’ve had the book for some time, but had not ever gotten around to reading it all of the way through.  This year it looks as though I’m going to do just that, and I really think I will do a repeat of it in 2014.  There have been several of the daily readings that have definitely spoken to me at times when I know God meant for me to be open to receiving them.  About that, I have no doubt.

The reading for November 20 was called “Putting the Thanks Back in Thanksgiving” so it is to the Raineys that I should recognize for the title and subject of today’s post.  I was especially drawn to the discussion questions for the day:  “What can you do to give this holiday a stronger spiritual emphasis?

Isn’t that why we even celebrate a Thanksgiving?  The heritage of the holiday has its roots in the pursuit of religious freedom.  I’m afraid all too often, we (myself included) forget that.  It’s easy to get all wrapped up in the trappings – the turkey, the décor, the stuffing vs. dressing debate, the Black Friday sales and lose sight of why we even set this day aside to begin with.

I agree with the Raineys’ suggestion that we need to give Thanksgiving the right focus.

One of the things they did, and perhaps still do, when their children were younger was to gather around the table while the morning brunch was cooking away and  read from a book by Peter Marshall and David Manuel called The Light and the Glory, which includes two chapters on the Pilgrims and their Christian faith.  I’ve now put this book on my wish list.

In addition, each family member receives a place card and five kernels of corn.  As a basket is passed around the table, each person places a kernel of corn in it and states one thing for which he or she is thankful.  This is then written on the place card which is kept year after year.  They go on to say later that, even though the children are much older now, the revisiting of these tributes of thanksgiving cause them to pause and truly remember all that they have to be thankful for.

What a simple, yet effective, way to help our family focus on all that Thanksgiving really means.  Wouldn’t this be a wonderful and heartfelt tradition to begin with your family?  I wonder, will you begin your own family tradition of putting the THANKS back into Thanksgiving?

I’d love to know.

Happy Thanksgiving from my family to yours.

G IVEAWAY FOR SIGNED COPY OF THE PIONEER WOMAN’S A Year of Holidays