Nostalgia

Yesterday I went with my family to pick out a Christmas tree, something we have never done before. Because of all our moving and sometimes even finances, we have either had fake trees or trees that dad finds on the side of the road. lol The house is all decorated, it looks so beautiful. While we were driving home after the tree purchase, and finding all that we needed for Thanksgiving, I was reflecting on past holiday memories. Surprisingly my favorite Thanks Giving memory is of our first holiday season i Russia. I remember that I was apprehensive about it at the time, because it wouldn't be the same. That was absolutely true! We didn't have turkey, we had duck and fish. We didn't have pie, we had Russian deserts. We didn't have stuffing, we had mayo based salads. We didn't have aunt's and uncles over, we had the people from our house church over. I had such a wonderful thanksgiving that year. I wouldn't trade what we had that year for all of the things we didn't have.
I keep thinking about some people who will be spending the holidays over seas this year. I am praying that they will have some of the best holiday experiences of their lives this year. So for anyone facing a holiday season in a place that is new to them or different, my prayers go out for you! God is going to give you a special gift this year, a blessing that you will have to hold on to for many years to come!
God bless