It is 6:30 pm here in Hungary as I write this, so the main part of my day has come and gone. Today has been lovely, but just like any other normal day here. This is my first time being outside of the US on Thanksgiving, and furthermore my first time not being with my family on this special day.
Growing up, I spent most of my Thanksgivings at my Grandpa and Grandma Moss' house with lots of family. My Thanksgiving memories are always so warm and happy, so today I'm longing a little bit to be back in the US.
A typical Thanksgiving celebration for me over the years involved arriving to my grandparents' home on Wednesday evening around dinner time, where a delicious lasagna dinner would be awaiting us. On the morning of Thanksgiving, I would watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade while eating one or two of my grandma's gooey homemade cinnamon rolls. For me, the main highlights of the parade include two things: the NYC Rockettes number and Santa Claus' arrival at the end of the parade. And of course we'd enjoy our Thanksgiving feast at midday, stuffing ourselves with my grandma's absolutely delicious cooking.
Post-meal, I would usually take a nap while my mom and uncle watch football {eating so much food never fails to exhaust me}. Our family would later curl up to watch a movie together and enjoy one of the many, many delicious pies my grandma has lovingly prepared.
Friday would usually include a trip to the Hot Dog Shoppe {a local favorite}, possibly a few stops at stores for browsing, and a trip to the cinema. Of course we are also enjoying all the scrumptious leftovers from the Thanksgiving Day feast.
I cherish these memories and traditions with all my heart, as well as the new tradition of spending every other Thanksgiving with Matt's family, whom I love and adore to the ends of the earth.
Sitting here now, reflecting upon these memories that feel so far away, it leaves me wondering to myself, "How did I get here?" How is it that I find myself in a foreign country, separated from my husband and the rest of my family, too? I'd be lying if I said I didn't feel a twinge of bitterness at the ultimate reason I am away from my loved ones--this military deployment. But I turn my thoughts in other directions and I can no longer feel any negative feelings.
I was reminded of something extremely important this week, from a devotional book for military wives of deployed soldiers that my mom mailed to me. Since this week our focus tends to be on praising and thanking God for our blessings, something I read in one of the devotionals really went to my heart. I was reminded in these passages that we are called to praise God not FOR the difficult things in life, but we are to praise Him IN SPITE OF our difficult circumstances, including deployments. I don't necessarily have to thank God for the deployment itself, but rather for all the blessings He has given to me and Matt already because of this deployment, and the many other blessings we know will come from it.
Because of our current circumstances, I am thankful for many things this year that are outside of my normal, albeit, endless blessings that I usually reflect upon. I'd like to share a few of the special things I am thankful for this year:
~I am thankful that I have the opportunity to live and serve in Hungary during Matt's deployment.
~I am thankful that I have developed a new "family" and support system here in Hungary.
~I am thankful that Matt's job is safe and that we have the opportunity to communicate with each other every day.
~I am thankful for all our family and friends back home who continue to pray for me and Matt.
~I am thankful for all the ways this deployment is strengthening our marriage.
~I am thankful for the ways God is drawing me and Matt closer to Him and teaching us through our individual experiences.
~I am thankful that Matt has a way to serve our country, and that I can take part in that as his wife.
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