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Hello Monday!

Actually, it's the Monday of Thanksgiving weeK! And, it's going to be an amazing week.

We in full-on holiday mode. Amy and Breya, only have a couple days of school. Asher is already on his break. The other kids are al coming home, and we're going to spend the majority of this week with family.

It's going to be a good week. Turkey. Stuffing. Mashed potatoes. Cranberries. Dinner rolls. Pumpkin pie. Yep, we'll have the whole spread. But there will also be a parade, a visit to dad's graveside, maybe some holiday shopping, and plenty of time story telling, laughing, and reminiscing. We really do have so much to be thankful for this year.

To help get this week started, we wanted to share a song with you, and we hope it encourages you as you prepare for Thanksgiving day. In 2022, David Crowder, released a holiday album called, Milk and Cookies. The first single, Thanks Giver, was an immediate favorite. We absolutely love it.

With everything going on in this world, in our lives, this songs spoke right to our hearts. God is still God, and he loves us. He is providing for us. Showing us every day that he is moving in our lives.

The chorus lyrics read..

We want to encourage you, as you get ready for your Thanksgiving celebrations, to listen to this song and take a few minutes to think about the simple things that bring joy into your life. Reflect on how God has been moving in your life, and take the time to be a Thanks Giver.

Happy Thanksgiving!

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Thanksgiving is a season for giving thanks. Saying thank you. Being thankful. We celebrate with a table of food, family, friends, and a parade or two, maybe some football, definitely a lot of food. And depending on your traditions, there might be a few minutes of sharing at the dinner table. We go around and everyone shares something they're thankful for this past year.

In the Higham house, we do all of that; the food, family, and sharing. A number of years Amy started the tradition of having all of us share the things we were thankful for. She wrote those items down in the back of our, Thanksgiving, A Time To Remember book, by Barbara Rainey. Every year we go around sharing things we thankful for like our family, food, a house, etc. Sometimes the sharing is deep and spiritual, most of the time it feels pretty generic. maybe you've experienced something similar. 

And maybe there's nothing wrong with generic, but is there more that we can be thankful for? Can we teach them to be thankful for more that food on the table and a roof over their heads. Again, not that these are bad.

Is there a way to take our thankfulness to the next level? Can we stir their hearts to reflect on things that are deeper, more substantial? Is there a way to teach and live a life of thankfulness?

As I think about this, I am forced to consider my own habits and how I think and express gratefulness in my life. After all, if I want my kids, my family, to be grateful, I must live with a heart full of gratefulness. So here's what I'm thinking.

Sometime we get into the habit of seeing thankfulness as a holiday. I include myself in this. It's easy to walk through a day, a week, a month, and not really reflect or think about the things we are thankful for. We get caught up in our careers, our schedules, our To Do Lists, our lives, and/or the lives and schedules of our kids. Even worse, we get all caught up in our stress, frustrations, disappointments, and our complaining and we don't think about the things we are thankful for. That is until we're sitting around the table and someone all of a sudden asks what we're thankful for. Then we stumble to find the words to express how or why we should be thankful on this sacred day of thanks.

But what if we saw thankfulness as more than a holiday. What if we developed the habit of being thankful every day? What if a few awkward moments of stammering, we learned how to express gratefulness on a daily basis?

To do this I think it takes both a change of heart and a change of mind. Let me ask, do move through your day looking for things to be thankful for? When you do find something to be thankful for, do you express gratefulness? To do so requires that we change how we think and how we process what's happening around us. If you were to pause, open your eyes, and ask God to show you what's around you I believe you would find plenty to be grateful for.

Let thankfulness be a daily practice. Develop the habit of being and expressing thankfulness every day.

How often do you say that you are thankful? No, not saying, Thank You. I mean, being truly thankful for something or someone in your life, and expressing it.

I think it's easy to say, thank you. It's polite. It's what we do. But do we express gratefulness, and do we do it enough so that we are passing gratefulness along to our children? We need to say we're thankful. And we need to do it more than at Thanksgiving.

Start this week. When you are moved by gratefulness, say it. Share it with your kids. And make it more than just saying, you're grateful. Explain the why. Why are you thankful? Take the time to explain why you are grateful. Doing so takes it to the next level. It also helps you learn how to communicate and express your gratefulness. By doing so, you will become more aware and better at recognizing your own gratefulness and why you're grateful.

You're thankful. Say, you're thankful.

Live in the light, right? You're kids are watching you. They're always watching you. And, as they watch you, they are learning from you. As parents of five, four of them now young adults, Amy and I can see ourselves in our kids. In things they say, how they think, interests, likes, even in their ideologies, theology, and faith; we see ourselves. For the last 26 years, they have been watching us, learning from us, even when we didn't think they were.

You're kids are watching you. Learning from you. The question than is, what are they seeing and what are they learning? Are they seeing gratefulness in your life, your marriage, your family?

Make gratefulness part of your family values. Make a point to discuss, share and live thankfulness.

​- jay

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It started during the Covid Lockdowns, the decision to begin the holiday season on November 1st.  We have begun explaining our reasons in a post that went live on Friday, November 1st called, 'Bring On The Holidays.'

We love to have our house decorated for the holiday season. If we're honest, though, we love to have our house decorated for every season. But there's something special about Christmas. The lights, the textures, the smells; everything helps bring the Christmas feels.

Decorating the house takes some time. It's a process. No year is ever the same, especially in the living room. While some things like garland might be sized and designed for a particular area, the majority of the house is new. This year we're dropping a series of vlogs to share our Christmas decorating throughout the house. Check out part one of our 2024 Christmas Decorating.

At the end of the series we'll come back and do a whole house, Christmas tour that you will not want to miss. Until then, be sure to watch each episode to see what we're doing throughout the house.

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Welcome to November!! If you have been following the Life in the Higham House blog or vlog, you know that November 1st, ushers in the official start to the Holiday Season. As a faithful follower, you might also know that we have be in the process of transferring our family blog from our old server to a new server. In doing so, we have been sorting through dozens of posts. Some posts are being deleted, while others are being edited, updated, and reposted with the hope of encourage you and your family.

As part of the "sorting process" we are sharing some of our favorite vlog and blog posts. Since we are preparing for the Thanksgiving holiday, we thought it would be fun to share our Thanksgiving vlogs. Think of it as a trip down memory lane.

We started vlogging our Thanksgiving in 2016. Our goal was to capture sweet moments with our kids. Now looking back, these vlogs are absolute treasures. Here is Thanksgiving 2016. We hope you enjoy!

​We had an absolutely wonderful Thanksgiving day! We didn't do anything all that special. In fact, we really didn't do anything at all. What we did do was have some fun as a family and relaxing. One of our long standing traditions brings the kids into the kitchen to help with food preparations. And while we were going to a friends house for dinner, we still had some fun in the kitchen!

​We decided to vlog our day, capturing as much as we could! After all, it won't be much longer before we have some major changes hit our house. Logan will soon be away at college, and Nate will follow a year later. So knowing that time is flying by, we are really trying to make memories now!

We are so blessed. God has cared for us in some special ways. We have a wonderful church family, and some amazing friends. The kids are doing great. We are all healthy. And we are able to continue serving in ministry.

Yes, we have much to be thankful for.

We hope that you and your family had a great Thanksgiving! Thank you for being a part of our journey by reading the blog, watching our blogs, and connecting with us on our social media channels. As you know, our hope is to encourage families. So we hope that we are encouraging you!

Happy Thanksgiving!

​- the higham family

It really is a lot of fun to look back on the vlogs and remember how little the kids were, how their voices sounded, and the silly things they did. As we get closer to Thanksgiving 2024, our hope is to share a few more Thanksgiving vlogs with you. And of course we will share plenty of NEW posts as we get ready for our time with the family.

Oh, and don't forget our Christmas posts! Yes, we are getting ready for Christmas and you will not want to miss all the traditions, decorating, and sharing! It's finally here, the 2024 Holiday Season! Let's go!!

​- jay and amy

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As we step into November, the idea of thankfulness is everywhere. After all, it's in November that we pause and reflect on the things we are thankful for. In recent years, the trend has become to countdown the days of the month posting the things we're thankful for to our social media.

Before you know it, we'll be sitting around the dinner table, sharing what we are most thankful for this year. But what do you do when it's been a tough year? What do you do when it's been a couple of tough years?

​What do you do when you've experienced loss, health challenges, financial difficulties, or life changing situations? How do you give thanks, when you're still in the midst of grief, struggle, or the unknown?

In 1 Thessalonians, we read these words, "16 Rejoice always, 17 pray continually, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus." (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 NIV)

Rejoice always. Pray continually. Give thanks in all circumstances. For this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. What does this mean? Is it possible? And why should we?

2022 was a challenging year, far more challenging than we thought it would be. The start of the new year brought a diagnosis of cancer. The Spring brought surgery. The summer brought the loss of our fathers. We continued to deal with the fallout of emotions, healing, and grief for months. 

2023 was another year of challenge. We stepped out of ministry and into what we called a self-imposed sabbatical. We needed time to deal with all that 2022 threw at us. 2024 has been a year of refocusing. While we're not out of the wilderness, we are coming closer to the border.

In light of all of this, what does it look like to rejoice always? Pray continually, okay, we've been doing that. But, be thankful in all circumstances? Hmm. That's going to take some doing. So let's talk about this, and what it looks like to say thank you after a tough season.

After hearing that we were facing breast cancer, we determined, that no matter what, we were going to trust the Lord. That was a big statement, because at the time of diagnosis, we knew very little. There was no plan. We had questions. We had concerns. We had some fear. We weren't sure about what was going to happen next. In fact, we didn't even know what was next. But in the midst of all of if, we chose to trust.

What does it look like, "to trust?"

For us, we focused on what we knew to be true. God is God. And God is good.

Over the last 28 years of our marriage, we have watched as our good God, has proven himself over and over again and again. He has provided for us, protected us, paved ways for us, and positioned us to receive his blessing. God moved through people and situations, to show us that He was caring for us.

When we need to be reminded of God's faithfulness in our lives, we just have to look back at how he has shown up in the past. Because we have consistently God's hand on our life, we can rest in the knowledge that he is still working on our behalf. And, because God is good, we trust that he's working all things out for our good. That fact allows us to step into the unknown, trusting God.

We chose to trust God. And as we trusted, we were able to celebrate. With each step we took, we rejoiced through both the good and the bad. We rejoiced because we knew it wasn't about us. It was about what God was doing. He was drawing our family closer together, and we rejoiced. He was showing us our community of support, and we rejoiced. He was teaching us about love, and we rejoiced.

We rejoice because that's how you respond when God moves. We choose to rejoice in all circumstances.

​Verse 18 says, "give thanks in all circumstances."

​In all circumstances, give thanks. When it's good, give thanks. No problem. When it's not good, give thanks. Okay, that's a little different.

Right after Amy's surgery, we learned that her father wasn't well. He had been admitted into the hospital and it wasn't good.  On June 11th, he passed. About a week later, Jay's father was admitted into the hospital. The next week was up and down. But on July 4th, he passed. In less than a month, we lost both of our fathers. And if that wasn't enough, between the two deaths, we lost our family dog of 14 years, Toby.

Give thanks in all circumstances. What does that look like now? ​

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When you begin a journey with the promise to trust God, no matter what, you kind of have to stick to the promise. They weren't just words. We didn't say them to make ourselves feel better. We meant what we said. We were going to trust God, and that includes giving thanks. Fortunately, we had much to be thankful for. 

Amy's cancer was removed with her surgery. The follow up testing showed she was now cancer free. We were thankful.

An incredibly supportive community of friends and family surrounded us with prayer and cared for us. We were thankful.

Our father's both loved the Lord, their wives, and their children. Both lived and served God well. We are very thankful.

These last 3 years haven't been all bad. We had some good things happen as well. Our first born is successful. He's living on his own, has a great job, and is doing really well. We're thankful.

Our number two is married and has 2 amazing little ones. He has a job he enjoys. He's working hard, providing for his family, and hdoes his best to lead his family as a godly husband and father. We're thankful.

Number three is working full-time in job he loves. He's learning a ton of great skills that will benefit him for the rest of his life. He's fishing and practicing his photography, and hanging out with the family and his friends. We are thankful.

Number four is in college and doing great.  He's a hard worker, a leader among his peers, and is looking forward to what's to come. We're thankful.

Number five is in high school and growing up faster than we want. She's a good friend who others look up to and admire. We're thankful

And Amy and Jay, well, it's now 28 years together and we're still going strong. God continues to show us his faithfulness. And, yes, we are thankful.

​We have found that we have much to be thankful for. And while 2022, might have been a tough year, it pales in comparison to the good that God has shown us. We have so much to be thankful for. 

- the higham family

*** SPECIAL NOTE ***
Today's post was edited and adapted from it's original post from November of 2022. 2022 and 2023 were 2 years of transition and change. We continue to seek God for wisdom and direction. 
Our hope is that by resharing this post we might encourage you as you are on your journey.
Happy Thanksgiving!

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Here we go! The 2024 Holiday Season begins today! That's right, Halloween has come and gone, and now it's time to getting for two of our most favorite holidays; Thanksgiving and Christmas. And we can't wait!

We can't remember when this time of the year became so important to use. Somewhere along the way of raising kids, serving in the church, and making our own family traditions, Thanksgiving and Christmas have become a significant part of our year.

We have always enjoyed celebrating Thanksgiving and Christmas. In fact, I (JAY) can remembering celebrating Thanksgiving and Christmas with my family growing up. For Thanksgiving, mom would make a feast; turkey, potatoes, stuffing, cranberries, pies, the works. And let's not forget the Thanksgiving Day Parade. Filled with marching bands, clowns, floats, music, balloons, and of course Santa and Mrs. Claus, it we the start to the Christmas holiday.

Christmas. Where do I begin? So many stories about Christmas. The lights, the carols, the TV specials with Charlie Brown, Rudolph, Frosty, and Santa. From Christmas Eve services with candle lighting to our traditional trip downtown for the live nativity scene to decorating the tree on Christmas Eve, every moment creating a memory. Then Christmas day...it was pure magic.

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For the Higham House, Thanksgiving and Christmas are more than just 2 special days out of the year. November 1st, through January 6th, is a season. It's a season of gratefulness and joy. It's family and friends. It's lights, decorations, and music. It's movies and gatherings, tastes and smells, and the celebration of all that God has done for us.

For the longest time, we kept the two holidays separate. First we celebrated Thanksgiving. November was all about being thankful. We had a tradition. For many years, Jay and Amy would leave for a Youth Workers Convention, about a week before Thanksgiving. The convention ran Thursday through Monday. We would drive or fly on the Wednesday or Thursday, and return on the Monday or Tuesday. It was a weekend of youth leader training, networking, worship, and rest. When we arrived home, we prepared for the Thanksgiving holiday. Christmas didn't begin until after Thanksgiving. 

Early on Thanksgivings happened in either Baltimore or Philadelphia (mostly in Philadelphia.) We would come home from the convention, load up the car, and head east. As the kids multiplied and grew older, the trips 'home' became more of a challenge. We had to navigate school schedules and/or sports. As the older kids took part-time jobs, work schedules made it even harder to travel. So we forged our own traditions and began making memories. But we always missed time with our extended families.

When we did make it 'home' the drives back west provided the opportunity to welcome Christmas. The multi-hour drive was filled with Christmas music. Steve Curtis Chapman, Amy Grant, Michael W. Smith, were just a few of the CDs we wore out. But as Thanksgiving became a stay home holiday, Christmas started with the decorating. It was usually the weekend after Thanksgiving that the decorations and lights came out.

So many sweet moments watching the kids hang their ornaments on the Christmas tree. From top to bottom, ornaments representing their year were hung beside a menagerie of hand-crafted keepsakes and treasures from preschool, Sunday School, King's Kids, or the classroom. 

Along with the decorating, we counted the days till Christmas with various Advent calendars and traditions. We watched movies, baked cookies, went Christmas shopping, wrapped gifts, and sang along with our favorite Christmas carols and songs. It was such a great time.

But in 2020, everything changed. We were all homebound due to Covid shutdowns and/or restrictions. With all that was happening we decided to make the most of our time together. So instead of celebrating two individual holidays, we joined the two together and created a season of celebration. It was the first weekend of November, 2020, and we decided to decorate the house for Christmas. Sure it was early. And yes, it violated our self-imposed rules of, 'No Christmas until AFTER Thanksgiving.' But, we didn't care. We needed a little joy in our lives and so we said, why not! That weekend set into motion a new tradition, and a new way of thinking about the two holiday's. 

Today is November 1st. 2024. And today, we begin our holiday celebration. We embrace the reminder to pause and be thankful while we prepare for the coming of Christmas. We have so much more to share with you, so be sure you are following along!

Happy November 1st!

​- jay