Thanksgiving has become a bittersweet holiday for our family.

A swirling of gratitude with grief.

A kaleidoscope of happy memories mixed with sad ones.

A day of family togetherness, aching with the reality that some we love no longer sit around the table.

It never fails, though.

Somehow Love shows up and warms a room when we least expect it.

And isn't it just like God to show up through a child?

As we stood around the kitchen, visiting, my mom held David.

Normally a busy little guy checking out the world around him,

David spotted something that caught his eye.

With the gentleness of an adult,

he lifted the necklace hanging around my mom's neck.

The necklace holding Nick's thumbprint.

Tuning all of us out, he studied every detail of the tiny heart that holds a piece of Nick's heart.

Nick's last gift to us.

Mom and I wondered in that moment if maybe, must maybe,

David knew more than an ordinary eleven-month-old little guy should know.

Did the eyes of this child see beyond what we can see?

I sort-of think they did.

I think somehow he realized in that moment just how much Mamaw needs his love.

As he carefully clung to the necklace, he reached up and reached out to her face.

In that moment, I saw.......

The love of David for Mamaw.

The love of Mamaw for David.

The hanging on to Nick's memory while reaching out for Mamaw's presence.

David's little hands talked to me on Thanksgiving Day.

They said,

"Hang on gently to what you've lost, but don't miss what you have."

God speaks in the most unusual and unexpected ways,

and for a few moments on Thanksgiving Day He chose to speak to us through the hands of a child.

God longs to speak to you today.

No hands are too small to deliver His message.

No moment too insignificant for Him to speak.

Open your eyes.

Open your ears.

Don't let His message for you slip by unnoticed.

Long ago, Jesus entered this world in a manger.

Many missed His arrival because of the hustle and bustle of everyday life.

But......

The shepherds looked up and saw the angels,

and

the wise men looked up and saw the star.

Slow down today.

Look up today.

Expect Him today.

He may even speak through a child.

He's done it before!

And there were shepherds living out

in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night.  

An angel of the Lord appeared to

them, and the glory of the Lord

shone around them, and they were

terrified.

 But the angel said to them, "Do not

be afraid. I bring you good news that

will cause great joy for all the people.

Today in the town of David a Savior

has been born to you; he is the

Messiah, the Lord.

This will be a sign to you: You will

find a baby wrapped in cloths and

lying in a manger."

Luke 2:8-12