Turkey at Telliquah Falls. Oh, what a foretaste...

Last year (2008) we instituted a Thanksgiving tradition of renting a cabin at Telliquah Falls for days of reconnecting as a family, food, games, food, singing, food, and....did I mention food?  Yes, we eat our fill of smoked turkey breasts (thank you, my sweet husband, for hours spent by the grill...YUM! YUM!), garlic cheese grits (a staple on the Thanksgiving table since I was knee-high to a grasshopper), potato casserole (Drew refuses to come if it's not there...and he's serious!), heavenly hash (my hubby's all-time favorite), about 5 other dishes, and pecan, pumpkin and apple pies...the Thanksgiving meal is quite a spread, but the leftovers are always where it's at!!

Back to last year's Turkey at Telliquah Falls...Peter, our son-in-law, proposed to our daughter on Thanksgiving Day in Hidden Falls cabin. Jump ahead to this year (2009) and when we returned to our beloved Hidden Falls cabin we had not just one son-in-law, but one son-in-law and two daughters-in-law!  Yep...and then there were NINE...all within six short months!!  Little did we know as we closed the door at Hidden Falls in 2008 that we would return in 2009 with such a drastically changed family.  But, as Proverbs 16:9 says, "The heart of a man plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps."  God knew that upon our return visit this year that not only Peter would be joining us, but Meggie and Loren, as well... and as with all things God does...it was very good.

Each time I reflect on our time at Hidden Falls this year, I am reduced to a puddle...stirred up to praise God from whom all blessings flow...humbled by God's boundless mercy and amazing grace...drawn in to worship Jesus - whose death on the cross, where He endured the wrath of the Father that I deserved and completely satisfied God's just punishment for my sin, made it all possible.  ...possible for Bethany, Loren, Meggie and me to enjoy sweet time in the kitchen sharing with each other how God had drawn us to Himself.  ...possible for Drew to play his guitar and lead us in joyful singing about God's redeeming love.  ...possible for our family once on the brink of destruction to be restored to the praise of the glory of His grace.  ...possible for each member of our earthly family to be made part of God's eternal family, fellow heirs with Christ. 

Possibly the most encouraging words I heard while at Hidden Falls came from Peter as we were all packing up to leave. My sweetheart said to Peter, "Well, you know what they say, 'All good things must come to an end.'"  To which Peter replied, "That's not true. We just move on to the next thing...but, our joy remains the same."  Great reminder, Peter...that our joy is in Christ not our circumstances!  So, while Turkey at Telliquah Falls is a wonderful and highly anticipated Thanksgiving tradition in the Simmons family..it should only serve to point us to the banquet where food will be inconsequential because we will be eternally satisfied to feast on the presence of Jesus!

Here is our precious family...the whole gang from 2009 Turkey at Telliquah Falls.  The men from the left: Drew, Mike, Josh, Peter and Jake.  The women from the left: myself, Meggie, Bethany and Loren.

As we checked out of Telliquah Falls, we went on and reserved Hidden Falls for 2010 (the Lord willing)...for TEN guests (our first grandchild, Baby Hedger, will be with us...GLORY!!)...but, I might take a couple of extra place settings...just in case.