Ghosts of Thanksgiving Past

I guess there's something about holidays that tends to trigger memories.  Maybe its the observation of long-held traditions that remind us of past years.  Perhaps it's especially prevalent at Thanksgiving as we are asked to reflect on the past year and share what we're thankful for?

Whatever the reasons, I have found myself reflecting on the many differences between this Thanksgiving and last.

1. Last year I was in Israel, this year I'm in Montana.  (There's quite a bit more snow here.  More elk too.)

2. Last year at this time my house had been invaded by seven family members, including a niece...they just were my flatmate's family members, not my own.  

This year my house has been invaded by three of my own family members, including a nephew (with about ten other family members occasionally dropping by).  Both invasions were/are very welcome.  Family is a great blessing.  

3. Last year I celebrated Thanksgiving with my sister and several other JUC students, most of whom I'd only known a couple months.

 This year I celebrated with my mother, father, sister, brother, sister-in-law, and nephew, along with some cousins and family friends I've known most of my life.

4. Last year, just for the sake of tradition, my sister and I did a little calculus.

This year we managed to avoid that tradition, but we did experiment with building better windmill-like devices.  What can I say?  We're a bunch of geeks.  

Between now and then much has changed, and I do have much to be thankful for.  For example, I'm thankful for the time that I got to spend in Israel and I'm thankful that I graduated!  However, as I think of things I'm thankful for, I find many hints of the bitter-sweet.  

~ I'm thankful for the good friends that I made while in Israel, and I'm thankful for things like skype and facebook which allow us to keep in touch...as we are literally spread across the globe and I miss them.

~ I'm thankful that I was offered a volunteer position at JUC...though visa difficulties have made it impossible for that opportunity to come to fruition yet and have sort of thrown me into limbo.

~ I'm thankful for another fall in Montana - a beautiful one at that - and I'm thankful to see snow and cold here, though it is not where I would have chosen to be.

I am reminded a little of Paul in 2 Corinthians 12:7-10

So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited.  Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me.  But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.  For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

I am not going to hypothesize about what Paul's "thorn in the flesh" was, nor am I going to claim a similar situation, but I think I am beginning to understand some of what he must have been feeling.  Things are not all bad, but for the first time I can remember, I've made plans and been unable to follow through.  Just a sudden brick wall.  I  can understand that such an experience is probably good for me in general, I just wish I understood a few more of the specifics.  However, I'm trying to cling to the grace of God, in spite of my confusion.  To summarize:

~ I'm thankful for a God who is still at work in my life, though, at the moment, I don't understand what He's doing.