Reflecting on Thanksgiving

Here are some fun pictures from the past weekend:

The Manchester Road Race - 4.5 miles on the morning of Thanksgiving - has become a family tradition. In this picture (top) Uncle Scott, Mom, cousin Cassy, Reynolds, Drew (bottom) cousin Vos, Aunt Stephanie, and me.

Drew and Reynolds eating pie the day after Thanksgiving. They're making themselves sick!

I have so much fun with these two - I love that my husband and brother get along so well!

This is a picture at my parents house, as the sun was setting.

The power of a leaf...

Drew has never learned his lesson about cold weather.

But I still think this is a cute picture!

On the back of a wagon, with Dad, Reynolds, and Drew, about to get our Christmas tree.

We sure have been busy! With Drew working and traveling a ton and me taking 5 classes and helping out with the Harvard basketball team, it was a much needed break to get out of the city and spend thanksgiving with family. We laughed, played games, ate, went for runs, slept, watched basketball and football, ate some more, played ping-pong, took lots of pictures, and got a Christmas tree. Wow, it seems like we did a lot, but it was really relaxing.

I hope that the spirit of Thanksgiving propels us into Christmas this year with humility, love, thankfulness, and joy. For some reason, I am just fed up with the materialism we experience around this time of year. I hope, more than ever, that frugality and simplicity are valued this Christmas. I know it is going to be this way for Drew and me. Don't get me wrong, I love giving gifts and I take great joy in making something or picking a special gift out for someone, but there are so many ways to minimize our spending. Furthermore, I want to us worship God purely this Advent season, without distraction and stress. I pray that malls, gifts, and worry will not pull us away from growing closer to Christ. I'm am anticipating a joyful and meaningful holiday season even in the midst of exams, a thesis rough draft, a basketballs season, Drew working a lot of hours, and traveling.

I read Psalm 43 this morning and realized it has such a relevant message to us right now:

Send forth your light and your truth, let them guide me;

Let them bring me to your holy mountain, to the place where you dwell.

Then I will go to the alter of God, to God, my joy and my delight.

I will praise you with the harp, O God, my God.

Why are you downcast, O my soul?

Why so disturbed within me?

Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.

I hope you are encouraged by this beautiful Psalm. It is my prayer for us.

~Saona

Happy Birthday Drew!

"For You formed my inward parts; you wove me in my mother's womb.

I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;

Wonderful are Your works, and my soul knows it very well."

Psalm 139:13

...there is only one of you, Drew Thomas Jackson, and what a great work of art you are!

~~~

loved and cherished by so many...

A happy birthday to my incredible, hilarious, and adorable husband!! Who deserves a blog-shout-out because he is alone on his birthday in Dallas, working really hard, and watching Marly and Me on tv. But don't feel bad for him, because we have already celebrated his birthday in Houston with the Jacksons, and soon we are to celebrate again with a "Drew Day" extravaganza. And then we will celebrate again when we see my family in Connecticut. So, Drew has an entire month of birthday bliss! But today Drew is officially 27 years old.

I love you DTJ.

Weekend in Houston

Hi friends and family, I hope you all are enjoying the fall!! I just love this time of year! Well, I wanted to write briefly about what a great weekend we had in Texas. We were with Drew's side of the family celebrating his 27th birthday (which is Oct 21st) by watching football, eating steak, soaking up quality time, playing tennis, and hanging out with Wilson (the miracle Golden Retriever)....all the things Drew loves most. It was a short visit but full of so much joy. Family is always a precious gift.

Here is a picture of all of us in Colorado from the summer...

Lots of love,

Saona

Newspapers

October is "National Newspaper Month" and so I think it is timely to share a few thoughts on reading the newspaper. As we all know printed papers are in a crisis due to 24 hour news coverage on tv, online news, and current events blogs. Thus, I have made it a habit to take at least two mornings a week to go to Starbucks, get a coffee, and buy the Boston Globe or New York Times and read for a half hour or hour. I absolutely love doing this because it supports our printed papers, I am reading in a community setting where I see familiar faces, and I am able to see reading the paper as an intentional act versus a form procrastination. I hope to continue this practice for the rest of my life, and I encourage you to do it as well. Read, Taste, Touch, See, Smell, Think. We miss the whole experience by browsing for online news. We especially neglect the thinking aspect when we tune in (or out) to 24 hour news coverage on television. I particularly appreciate reading the local section of the newspaper in a local community context. It gives me a sense of connectedness.

Take, Read. Read with discretion and discernment. Think deeply.

Transitioning

Transitions are usually hard, especially for me, but for the past four weeks I think Drew and I have adjusted well to our new lifestyle. Drew is now working while I finish my last year of school, so that means Drew is traveling during the week and comes home to Cambridge for the weekend. We kind of feel like we are dating long distance again! I think the key for us has been being intentional with our time. We both work long hours during the week but have managed to have really good phone dates in the mornings and evenings. Then we get to enjoy each other's presence and have fun together on the weekends. It has also been important for us to stay connected to people and not loose touch with our community here. I am very hopeful for what this year holds for us, being our last year in Boston. I'm realizing transitions are a good thing, they help us remember we are being transformed...

"And all of us, with unveiled faces, seeing the glory of the Lord as though reflected in a mirror, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another; for this comes from the Lord, the Spirit." ~2 Corinthians 3:18