Hello, God. It's me, Mara.

You know, Lord, November is a thankful time. A friend remembered when she was growing up how her grandma always set a huge table for her dear family. "J.L." recalled that Grandma would tell them that this was the perfect time to start cheerleading on paper. Grandma had a stack of paper and had each person write their name on the top, then all the slips of paper were dropped into a basket. After a most delicious meal, everyone drew a name from the basket.

"J.L." remembered everyone being very quiet and with pen or pencil and paper, they were to write THAT person a note, telling them what they admired about them. When the children were too little to write, they whispered their dictations for someone to write. After all the notes were completed, they went around the table and read them aloud. Oh my! Some brought laughter, others brought tears and all brought a sense of kinship and gratitude.

"J.L." remembered one year when her little sister was forced to write what she liked about her pesky little brother; for a moment, she saw him in a new light. A dad suddenly realized that he needed to express his esteem for his son more often, A spouse received praise for a quality they thought had gone unnoticed.

Looking back, "J.L." recognized that hearts were stirred with new feelings, and knew that You, Lord, must have been thrilled as this family was ministering to each other in the way that You intended when You created the family, bringing out the gifts in one another.

A simple family meal turned into a time of refreshing assurances to our loved ones. How about ink-and paper applause times at our annual Thanksgiving dinners?

Provers 15:23 tells us, "A person finds joy in giving an apt reply - and how good is a timely word!"

Love, Mara.