Thanksgiving Memories

We are very thankful at this time of year and all year long for God's many,
many blessings to us! Our Thanksgiving Day plans fell through, but we celebrated together anyway. Since then I have been shuffling through old photos especially looking for pics of Thanksgivings past. For years since moving to New Brunswick, we gathered all the Americans in the area for a celebration. They were very wonderful times! We will never forget Pat Miller's dessert buffet and Mel Reed carving the turkey and washing dishes! (Canadian Thanksgiving just ain't the same! But then we did get to have TWO THANKSGIVINGS!!!)

Right now we are stepping around photos in two rooms AND the hall. I hope to rectify that soon. I may, hopefully, come up with more photos, but here are a few
and I'll warn you, some go REALLY FAR BACK! Mel and Betty Reed were almost always part of our celebrations, but they are not in any pics that I have located so far. I am hoping to find them and also a special pic from years ago in Minneapolis when the kids were set up at a table in our hallway. At that time, we always had Thanksgiving at our house because it was the biggest. We had a church service at about 11:00 AM and that was a very special service.
We had the benefit of my mom coming in to work on the dinner while we were in church because her service was on Wednesday night.

The Green family

The Warner family

As far as I can tell, the two previous pics are from 1998 at the Millers' house in Frederiction.

1996 at the Millers' (building & renovation going on here)
I am sure the Reeds were there that year.
I'll keep looking!

1995 at our lovely home in Saint John
I can say that because God gave it to us to use for Him!
Left: Paula and Shane Belding
Right: Judi Coats' brother and sister-in-law from Connecticut

Paul, Danita Miller and Jennie Coats
Danita is married, has a little girl and another one on the way, I think.
Jennie is married and has 2 children, a boy and a girl!

Coats' cousin, Jon Coats, Heather Belding, Jennie and Danita
By this time Andy and Sara were grown and gone. Sara was at Maranatha BBC and Andy was living in British Columbia. If I'm right about that being Heather, she was married last summer!

1980 in Minneapolis
I said, "Is that Kari or Mari?'
Paul says Kari, but...
what do you think, Cheryl? I never thought they looked that much alike!??

1970 It looks like people must have been coming and going because different families are represented in each of these two pics, but it is obviously the same year.
One the couch from left: Kirk and Kristy Carlson, Mari with Andy taking care of her, Kari
On the floor from left: David and Stephen Refsell, Steve and Susan Kahler

From left: Duane, Barb, Jeanine & Eileen
Roy and Judy Vasquez, Raquel and little brother whose name I don't even remember
Orris, Louise Refsell and their boys
Cheryl, Dwight and Kari Turbett
Andy and Mari must have been napping. Paul was the photographer.

Some years we went to the Refsells'. I was always a little disappointed there because Louise was so organized that the turkey was cut when we arrived and I didn't get a taste of the skin. After eating ourselves under the table, the guys would go across the parking lot to play in the gym...
and almost die.
Last winter Louise went home to glory. She was a wonderful person and I sure should have learned a whole lot from her about organization!