Looking back I guess all our Thanksgiving get togethers have been good. There has always been lots of food….good food! And always lots of family, ours’ is a big one….and they’re all in the neighborhood, so to speak. In fact, I don’t know many that have it as good as I’ve got it. I have my folks, in their ’80’s; I have 5 kids….and 8 Grandkids (soon to be 9!) and all of them, except one little Granddaughter, live within 5 miles of me! I think about it most every day….and every time I give the Lord a little brief,….but extremely heartfelt, “Thank You”.

There’s at least a dozen of Christmases that stand out for one reason or another...like year before last when Clay proposed to Chelsea with the whole family present. And there are some more when our own kids were little that stand out. But thinking back, and even though our Thanksgivings have been good….I can’t really remember one that stands out from the others. This year, however, will be different. It’ll be one that will stand out for me…and I expect, all of the Taylor Crew for as long as we all live.

The newest little Taylor boy (Cole & Kelly), Knox River, arrived just a few days ago. He came a couple of weeks early…and not without some major, even life threatening complications. His mommy’s vision became blurry, and her sister-in-law who just happened to be a nurse checked her blood pressure which was way too high! She insisted that they head to the hospital, 35 miles away. They rushed her in immediately, did an emergency C-section, and discovered that her uterus had ruptured. The doctor told the family that it was the first time he’d seen that in 18 years.  And in a more recent case….the baby was saved….but not the mom! We were told that the margin of safety for Kelly and little Knox was no more than 3 minutes! They gave both Mom and baby only a 50/50 chance! It was that close!

So, today as they prepared to leave the hospital for home, and I got to hold him for the first time, I was brought to tears thinking of the ‘little treasure’ that we have.…and what, otherwise, might have happened.

Yep, we’ve always had a lot to be thankful for. . We’re extremely grateful to the Lord for all the ways He’s blessed us. But this Thanksgiving will hold a special place for us forever and ever!