The full fridge the day after Thanksgiving

I posted this on social media yesterday.

The picture above is my fridge 

'the day after thanksgiving'...

This is what I wrote...

The full fridge the day after Thanksgiving.  This abundance of food is not only a real blessing but will continue into Christmas.  I will be freezing gravy and turkey for our Christmas casserole, which is delicious and what we have for Christmas dinner with our dear friends, Munchkin and his Mom :).  We will eat leftovers this weekend-Tuesday (the fast starts Wednesday for us). 

I understand and to some degree can empathize with the fact that so many do not have this abundance.  That being able to afford food at all, not to mention housing, is difficult for many.   I remember when I went through a really hard season where I was applying for jobs continually, interviewing here, there and even flown out for an all day interview for a faculty librarian job in Canada.  Each job I would narrowly miss.  I was being careful in spending, had moved to a smaller apartment (a real step down from what I had before) to save money (it saved me over 1K a year so worth it) and I had a short time - 2 months or so - where I did not have money to cover my rent and groceries.  The stress impacted my health, I got this terrible rare rash (I called it a volcano erupting on my face) that I had to take strong steroids for and was a 50% chance of cancer.  Thank God in my case it was NOT cancer.  I remember my vegetable peeler breaking in that time, just snapped in half, no fixing it (it was the one that is shaped like an old fashion razor, with the peeler part on top instead of running down the side) and I did not dare spend the money to buy a new one.  For two months people sent me money - two people sent me over 1K Canadian and I think I used it to pay 3 months worth of rent.  And smaller monies brought groceries and I could pay my phone + internet bill (both of which were lifelines to me of help, encouragement and job applying, that I was doing daily for hours).  I found an inexpensive ticket home for Christmas that my parents bought for me.  It was such a special Christmas, one that really felt like a gift to me.  My Mom gave me a new vegetable peeler for Christmas.

My friends and family prayed and prayed, and when I went to the bank to pay my rent, I again did not have enough for the next month.  God had provided for me and I knew I only had enough for some groceries and phone/internet bill for the rest of the month. Again.  And so I remember walking the short distance back to my apartment in Ottawa Canada and telling God that if He wanted me to keep living by His hand alone, by the gifts of others, that I accepted. It was a type of surrendering, I think.  And within that hour, I got an email or phone call, can't remember at this precise moment to interview for a contract.  It turned out they were in great need of my help (I am a Master-levels librarian professionally), and knew me because I had already interviewed for a full time job there.  I got a 2 month contract as an independent contractor.  The pay was quite generous and I had enough money to live, carefully, for about 4 or 5 months on that, with putting aside half for taxes (taxes in Canada are high and I had made a mistake the year before so was being extra careful).  It was a real miracle of God.  

The next miracle in my life was that after I was back on my feet (I got more work from that same place that summer) job/finances wise, I got news of this man, a Dutch Orthodox Christian who was kind, loved kids, went to Calvin...etc!  A list of qualities in a man that exceeded my dream list for a Husband. Within 2 months of hearing about him, we started emailing.  Months later, we were engaged and the wedding was close.  And...I got a second vegetable peeler as a bridal shower gift.  When 1.5 years before, I could not afford to buy one; my Mom buying me one instead for Christmas.  To have 2 of them always speaks dearly to me of God's provision and blessings in my life now that I live in NJ with my beloved Husband.  That we could host Thanksgiving again this year, with the help of Fresh Direct and Trader Joe's, I don't take lightly but instead with gratefulness.  That I can put away food for a really special delicious Christmas casserole that I hope to have with our Munchkin and his Mom, a dear friend to me, again this year is a huge blessing.  That we have more than enough of everything...as the prayer goes...and ends a prayer that we would desire righteousness... is really the only answer I have for the blessings I now have... 

[One version of this prayer is]: "O Lord, King of the universe, Thou who didst satisfy the thirsty and fill the hungry with good things, give bread to those who have none, and to us who have more than we need, grant hunger and thirst for righteousness.  Amen."