Giving thanks for Thanksgiving

Wow! Where do I begin? As Inigo Montoya so eloquently put it, “Let me ‘splain. No. Is too much. Let me sum up.”

Highlights of our trip:

We arrived in Seattle Monday the 20th and that evening took Grace and Curtis to dinner at Agua Verde, a cool Mexican restaurant where we joined Daniel and Claire, a couple George and I met at a sidewalk cafe in Venice, Italy. We sat at a table right beside the stage where Correo Aereo played and sang their melt-in-your-mouth smooth Spanish-style songs. You can sample their music HERE. Claire met the musicians, Abel Rocha and Madeleine Sosin, when she lived in Austin about twenty years ago, and she and Daniel were delighted a while back to discover they’d relocated to Seattle. They play every Monday at Agua Verde.

Wednesday we went to the Pacific Science Center for a Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit. It was as amazing as you might imagine. I could say so much, but I’ll limit myself to one powerful impression: though the scrolls themselves have deteriorated over time, the ink is remarkably well preserved. As I stood inches from the ancient documents, I remembered God’s promise, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will never pass away.” It was a moment on holy ground for me. You can read about the exhibit HERE.

Wednesday evening when Grace got off work we drove north to Bellingham, where Curtis’ parents welcomed us with open arms and hearts. Their home sits on a hill with breathtaking views of Bellingham Bay and the San Juan Islands. We shared Thanksgiving dinner with all the Romjues, including Curtis’ brother, Scott, and his wife, Shara, their 2-yr-old son, Hagen, and their pug, Megs. During our several-day stay we hiked along a creek and watched the salmon struggle upstream, took a brief but beautiful sailboat ride into the Bay, made lots of music, looked at old pictures, took new pictures, and basically shared the joys of a warm home and good company. I posted a few pictures of our time together HERE. The last one was a copper dragonfly yard sculpture for sale at a cool little art shop.

Saturday evening we drove to Lynden to meet Luke’s friends, the Droullard family. We gathered around their cozy fireplace for hot tea and oatmeal cookies. Life shines in their eyes and echoes in their laughter. No wonder Luke loves them so much. We returned to Seattle in time to hear Curtis’ band, Jubilee, perform at St. Cloud. For our amusement he altered various lines of his songs in ways that most people wouldn’t even notice, but that bore significance to us. It was a perfectly delightful time.

Sunday evening we attended Bethany Bible Church. When the service ended we stepped outside into a magical scene. Wet snow fell in slow motion, the flakes joining one another and forming lacy masses that danced past street lights on their way to our tongues, cheeks, and eyelashes. It made me want to spin in circles and yet be very still–to whisper and shout at the same time.

Luke left Monday morning, and Grace had to go to work at noon, so George, Jacob, and I spent several hours with Curtis before our flight home. He opened his heart to us about his life and his hopes for the future. It was beautiful. Or as Jacob put it, “almost gorgeous.”

And so we’re home again. It’s warm in Marshall. Mid-70s today. But if I close my eyes I can still see a million sparkling bits of glory floating on unseen breezes of purpose–like specks of starlight sprinkled by a loving God down on a gray Seattle sky. I stand below, looking up with childlike delight and anticipation, waiting to catch the next blessing that dances my way.

Our Thanksgiving was beautiful. Almost gorgeous. I hope yours was, too.