Today as I started to prepare some of my food items for our Thanksgiving tomorrow, I think back to this measuring cup and the first Thanksgiving without our son Danny.

It has been 4 years now since we had that first Thanksgiving without Danny. This old Tupperware measuring cup is the same one that Mark and Danny used to fight over when eating a meal. The both of them liked to drink from this cup instead of a glass.

Funny how simple things mean so much now. I remember when I set the table for that first Thanksgiving without him I set a place for Danny too. I gave him this cup and declared him the winner that year of the coveted cup. It was so hard and still is to have a holiday without him here to share it with us.

Please remember all the families this year that are experiencing their first year without their loved one. It is so hard!

As I scrape my dough from my metal bowl this morning I remember Granny Poston as well and how she used to direct me in some of the food preparation and wanted to make sure that I scraped that bowl out good. It’s just the littlest things that come back always to ring in our ears and to warm out hearts.

Nationally we have seen so much hurt and death with all the killings and the accidents and the illnesses that have taken many people from us. A lot of families will have an empty chair at their table this year.

God has special plans for His children and His families. Rejoice through the tears and just remember this:

Know through your tears that a loving God sees and realizes that we who have the empty chairs are hurting so badly and that the empty space at our table is hallowed ground to us.

Thank you Lord!