It is now November 1, 2020. Fall, holidays and winter are not far ahead of us. First up will be Thanksgiving and as we begin to think of our plans for that day, I wanted to find a story for this week to remind of us that celebration ahead.
While it was a day that first was said to be shared between the Pilgrims and Indians many decades ago, it is more than that for those of us that celebrate it today, to give thanks for the many blessings that God has given us personally. Even those Thanksgivings that may be different then we have had in the past.
Today's story is one that is simple and yet it had meant much to it's author and her mother, whose Thanksgiving holiday had changed one year. But still, it didn't stop them from being blessed. Here is her story. Find this and other encouraging stories of faith and blessing at: A Heaven-Sent Slice of Pumpkin Pie | Guideposts
A Heaven-Sent Slice of Pumpkin Pie
Her mother’s favorite Thanksgiving dessert saved the day during a difficult holiday.
by From 
- Posted on Oct 26, 2020
My mom must have made hundreds of pies in a hundred different combinations of flavors over the course of her life. She was the queen of the flaky crust. In the summer she used fresh blackberries and cherries for filling. In the fall, sweet raisin, apples, decadent chocolate. And at Thanksgiving, always pumpkin, her personal favorite.
But Mom would not be baking any of her famous pies this particular year. Two weeks before Thanksgiving, she’d had a stroke and lost the ability to speak and swallow. She was being fed through a tube and would have to stay in rehab while she remastered those skills. I was thankful she’d be able to return home soon, of course, but I was sorry that we wouldn’t get to enjoy her hosting Thanksgiving, as was our tradition. My husband, my brother and I made reservations to have our meal at a restaurant near Mom’s rehab center, so we could spend the rest of the afternoon visiting with her.
The day before Thanksgiving, we got a bit of good news: Mom had passed her swallowing test. The doctor wanted to keep her on the feeding tube to be on the safe side, but Mom could now handle pureed foods and her speech was slowly improving. This was progress, but I couldn’t help feeling sad that Mom would get no Thanksgiving to speak of.
At the restaurant the next day, we had turkey and cranberry sauce, potatoes, and sweet potatoes. We finished with plenty of room for dessert, but no time. We’d have to get it to go if we were going to make it to the rehab center before visiting hours ended.
“We’ll have three pieces of pumpkin pie,” I said. Mom liked nothing more than to watch her family finish off their dinner with a good slice of pie. And that would be the closest thing to a real Thanksgiving that I could offer her. Maybe the nurses could blend up a little for her too.
“I’m sorry,” the waitress said, “but we only have one slice left.” Clearly it was meant for Mom. The waitress packed it up, adding a generous dollop of whipped cream on top. On the way to the rehab center, I looked at the container on my lap. God, am I just being silly thinking a slice of pie will be any kind of Thanksgiving for Mom?
When the three of us arrived at Mom’s room, we found her in good spirits, as usual. We chatted for a while, and my husband and my brother went out in search of coffee. Mom had been eyeing the to-go container since we’d arrived. Now I opened the lid, presenting the pie like it was a diamond ring. Her eyes widened with delight.
“You’ve been doing so well with swallowing, I thought you might try eating just a little.” I reached for the fork, but Mom beat me to it. She grabbed the container from my hands and dug in. There went the whipped cream, then the pumpkin filling. I could tell by the way she sighed and closed her eyes that Mom was savoring every bite of the first real food she’d had in weeks. An angel had saved the best piece of pumpkin pie I never ate for the Thanksgiving I’ll never forget.
⭐
Sometimes even little things that God blesses us with mean more to us then they ever did as we age and the people in our lives that we love have passed on. In this story, her mothers passing had not happened yet. But, I get what the author is writing about because my own parents are in heaven with Jesus now for a number of years. And thanksgivings with them, are long gone and only memories are left behind.
My own mother baked many a pie in her day. And each Thanksgiving, we enjoyed it at her and my father's own table after our meal. And yet for many of those years I really hadn't appreciated her efforts for those special times once I had my own family. Granted, four kids as time went on could be busy. But why hadn't I just taken the day for what it was? A God given day to spend with the blessings he had given me. With my family. With my parents.
They are gone now and someday we will spend Thanksgiving in heaven and I wonder if it is celebrated there in any form. But I digress.
The fact is, they are not here now. However, we now live close to two of our adult children and their families and I got to celebrate the day last year with them and how wonderful it had been because it had been a few years since we were able to spend the day with them specifically.
I know that the pandemic of this year has changed the plans of many who may not get together like they have in the past.
But you know what? That virus is not going to stop me this year. We are going ahead with our plans. Pandemic or no pandemic. And I am trusting God that he will protect us through it.
It is all I have at this stage of my life. Holidays with my family are more important to me, just as that piece of pie was for the mother in the story. And I will not let anything stand in my way of them if at all possible. And so as Psalm 31:14-15 reads, this is my prayer through out all of this season:
But I trust in thee O, Lord; I said, You are my God My time is in your hand. Deliver me from the hand of the enemy and from them that persecute me.
This virus Friends, is our enemy. One that is trying to take over the world that God has given us. But I am trusting God for safe holidays for my family because I am so much more in tune with spending them with who I have left here and don't want to ever miss out on what I still have, until God takes me home to spend the celebrations with those that I miss so much.
Maybe you will want to trust God for you and your family during this season, to be safe, healthy and happy. He wants that for us, folks. And if we say we trust in God, he wants to prove it to us that we can.
Thanks for coming by today. May this your Lord's day be filled with his great blessing.
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