Christmas Thanks

Another Christmas Day has come and gone. And this mom and grama has so much to treasure in my heart ... so many memories to carry with me. Our home was filled to overflowing with family and with love ... 23 dear family members shared our Christmas Day with us. And these 23 family are on my list of thanks as I continue counting for "One Thousand Gifts" this week. And I must add one more to the top of the list ... the One who created Family, and the One who is Love, the One whose birth we celebrate at Christmastime.

My heart is filled with thanks this week for ...

Jesus, the source of everything good in our lives, the source of Love, the giver of Family  ...

Memories of the sweetest Christmas Eve ever ... click here to read more of that special day 40 years ago! And because of God leading us to the decision made that day, I have the sweetest husband ever, and we have been blessed with the gift of family ...

Twenty-three around our table for Christmas Dinner this year ... 

Cole, Cruz, and Jacob ... the three sweetest one year-old grandsons anyone could wish for.

Levi (8), Ali (3), Abigail (14), Crystal (12), Brianna (4), and Luke (8) ... more of the sweetest grandkids in the world ...

Lance, and Seth, our two wonderful sons who came home on Christmas Eve already and spent the night before our big Family Christmas the next day ... in this photo helping make the hoagie sandwiches to have with our Holiday Tortellini Soup on Christmas Eve.

Cristy, Carrie, Amy, and Sara ... the four sweetest daughters this mother could wish for.

Tyler, Mark, Joe, and Sean ... our four great sons-in-law; so thankful for how they love our daughters (in this photo, playing a game of Risk together with Seth & Lance)

My 89 year-old father, and Gary's older (single) brother ... thankful they could join us for the day (in photo, Dad looking at John Deere book we gave him, with Neum sitting next to him)

The wonderful blessing of having our whole family home for Christmas ... something we do not take for granted; a special gift from God at this wonderful time of year! Click here to see more photos of our time together. After our more formal family picture of the evening (which we are saving for a future project), we always take a goofy one. So thankful for all the fun we have together ... family is such a blessing.

(One Thousand Gifts #126-151)