Some things can be taken for granted; consider Thanksgiving Day. In America, it is a given that certain foods are eaten with a little variation according to personal tastes and family traditions. But, it is a day to get together as a family and eat a lot of food and, hopefully, take time to be thankful for the blessings we have. In Tanzania it is not recognized since it is an exclusively American holiday.
I spent my first Thanksgiving alone; it was a unique experience but it was a good day.
Tim was in Dar Es Salaam working on getting our residence permit so we can legally be in Tanzania; that is a full 16 hour drive away so he could not be home.
I went to the ladies Bible study as I normally do on Thursdays. Afterwards, one of the single missionary ladies invited me to go to the local vegetarian pizza place for lunch. We had a nice lunch, did a little shopping for groceries and shared a taxi to take us home. For supper, I fixed some fried chicken, mashed potatoes and cut up some raw veggies.
Thursday evening I put in a CD of some old well-known hymns and sang along for awhile. I read my Bible, concentrating on portions that had to do with thanksgiving. I prayed for awhile, first giving thanks for my blessings and then asking God to bless my family, our supporters, etc.
I watched a beautiful sunset over Lake Victoria from my patio and enjoyed the peace and quiet.
A special blessing came when Tim texted me that he had received our residence permit on that very day; a week earlier than they had told him. He would be home on the weekend; what a nice blessing that was on Thanksgiving Day.
It's important to remember among all the tradition of this American holiday; that it is really a day of celebration and giving thanks for our many blessings.
Be blessed and be thankful!
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