Giving Thanks for Fruitcake...



Christmas Fruitcake...YUM!



 Last week my mother – in- law called to say that her Christmas fruitcake (and yes the Hanlons LOVE our own fruitcake) was baking in her oven.  I (Sarah) must admit that my heart starting racing a bit faster as I suddenly realized how close the holidays loomed ahead!  Almost immediately the holiday “to do” list started forming in my mind….Thanksgiving preparations, baking fruit cake and holiday cookies, decorating the house, Christmas shopping, family gatherings, etc.  As my mental list started to get longer and longer AND the anxiety started to grow by leaps and bounds, God intervened with the thought “just STOP and remember the reason for the season”.   

So having a week or so to process this “incident”, I have come to the conclusion that I am going to do my best to  strip away all the trappings of the holiday season and enjoy (and appreciate) the number of opportunities I will have to love people.  No longer will the month of November and December be a frenzy rush to get my mental “to do” list done.  Instead, I will be more intentional about spending time building relationships with friends, family and strangers.  So given the choice between baking cookies and having a cup of coffee with a friend…well, the choice is now obvious! 

Now it may seem that these are just “words” written on a blog, but I have already had the opportunity to put my new outlook into practice.  Just today, I was leaving the grocery store and was asked by an elderly couple to donate to the local homeless veterans.  Normally in the past, I would rush past saying “I’m sorry but no thanks…” but today I actually stopped and had a five minute conversation with the couple.  After dropping a couple of bucks into their bucket, they got up and cooed over Beth and we had a pleasant conversation about babies, the weather and the upcoming holidays!  I must say the experience was really refreshing and I’m looking forward to my next opportunity!   

In the spirit of Thanksgiving, here are a few things that I am very, very thankful for….

1. My wonderful husband Bruce and my beautiful girls Grace and Beth.  
2. Our many family, friends and Crossroads Community Church who have (and continue) to be a blessing to us in countless ways.  
3. God leading and directing us to ABC Malawi in July 2011 AND the prayer and financial support of our family and friends as we continue to seek support for our new ministry.
4. The many opportunities that I will have to just love people this holiday season!

On behalf of the Hanlon family, we wish you a wonderful and blessed Thanksgiving.