Years of Blessing

Thanksgiving 2017

Well, it’s my 19^th Thanksgiving as part of the Maynor family. I could say something sappy like, “my family is the best”, or “couldn’t do life without them”. Truth is, I could be doing life without some of them if the Lord hadn’t intervened along the way. I am thankful for each and every one of my family members, but here’s my story as to why.

Thankfulness #1:

We moved to our home 12 years ago that we lovingly dubbed “Pecan Pastures” 11 years ago. We have been a ‘home’ kinda family every since I was born. In fact, many of my saddest, happiest, scariest, and most exciting memories have all originated from home. Our two large gabled windows on the second floor with missing screens, the front porch that has chipped paint from my brothers’ sword fights, my Mama’s lovingly tended flower pots, the frogs behind the window shutters…..each of these imperfections have made life perfect.

Nothing compares to my barn. In all of its 11 years of existence it has gone through the births of baby goats with me, things have died in my hands under its roof, and I have built character from the work it has provided me with as I have grown up. Each of us girls put their heart and soul into building our dreams and watching some of them go up in smoke back at this barn. It is just as much our home as the house is.

Home is more than just a house. It is a place to belong. It is walking in the door from feeding my animals and smelling peach cobbler sitting in the stove with the oven door half open. It’s hoping you get home from work in time to not miss out on family devotions. It’s where you have your biggest fights and knock down drag outs. Your biggest disagreements and agreements happen here and our family works out problems together and doesn’t expose them to everyone else. Relationships happen, big decisions made, holidays are a blast, and things are perfectly imperfect… Life happens and family lives.

Thankfulness #2:

My parents. The people that have shaped and formed me into the person I am today. The people that have shamed me, encouraged me, been patient with my mistakes, disciplined me, and brought me to the point in my life when I realized I needed Christ the most. They have been through life with me and through every mile stone and every treacherous trail we’ve had to climb as a family, they’ve been there and they haven’t once quit. They have made mistakes, yes, because they are human. They’ve fallen on that trail called life and injured themselves. They didn’t give up though. Where would I be today if they had?

Each of my siblings, even in heated moments, admits the same thing. Our parents have always been there with us to experience everything we’ve ever faced. One of the decisions I have always supported them making is their decision to home educate us. I couldn’t be prouder to be a home educated graduate all the way through.

They finished the course with us kids, and will continue the course until all 7 of us kids are grown. They are the most self-sacrificing people I have ever met and never hesitate to help even if it inconveniences them. It is never a problem for them if someone is in need. They will jump up in a hot minute if they thought someone was suffering because members of Christ didn’t come together to help them. They are those people you can always count on being constant and encouraging. I couldn’t be more thankful for their godly example.

Thankfulness #3:

Life. Life has always been something that hangs in the balance in every household. None of us is guaranteed another day, another hour, minute, breath, or heartbeat. We are dust, and there were times in my life when I realized that someone I loved could very well slip away from me.

Those of you who haven’t known us very long won’t know the story of our family in 2009, 2012, and parts of 2014. These were the roughest times that we have gone through as a family. 2009 was the year of two serious accidents when I wasn’t sure if my Dad or 3 of my siblings were alive or dead at times. In August of that year, my sister Mariah was kicked very hard in the stomach by one of our horses and experienced a traumatic afternoon. She was whisked off to the hospital with my parents and all of us kids sat at home not knowing if the injury was life threatening, or even if she’d be okay. By God’s merciful grace, my sister is turning 15 years old January 1^st, 2018.

The second accident took place a month later on September 27. It was exactly a week after Myles’ birth and dad took my brother Matt and younger brother Malachi (three years old at the time) to the store. We had a call about 20 minutes after they left the house saying that they had been in a very serious car accident and no one knew if they were alive. We spent 3 hours not knowing anything about the accident. Daddy was okay, Malachi broke his leg, and my brother Matthew suffered a concussion, a broken collar bone, and cuts and bruises. But they are alive for another Thanksgiving. Exactly 5 years after September 27, McKenzie got married on the same day in 2014. My Dad walked her down the aisle, Matt was there as a groomsman, and Malachi was the ring bearer.

It was Thursday after Easter in 2012 that my Grandma called my Mama in tears saying that her best friend had brought her to the Emergency room because of some severe pain in her back and neck. She was moved from the Milledgeville hospital to the Coliseum hospital in Macon where she spent nearly 3 weeks in intensive care. The Doctors were too hesitant because of my Grandma’s heart condition, numerous damaging medications, and physical state to do anything about the cracked vertebrae in her spine. She took her last breath on May 5, 2012. We are remembering 5 years without her this year on earth, but rejoicing in her spiritual and physical freedom found in the presence of God. That… we can be thankful for.

Later that year was also when our family made the decision, by God’s guidance, to break away from other things. God needed us to grow in ourselves and Him only and not rely on others for our faith, so we spent many months searching for a new body of believers to call ourselves at home with. Looking back now, I can hear my Dad saying to me at the hardest moments, “You will understand in a few years and look back and smile at what God was teaching you through everything.” It was so hard as a teenager to make those moves with my family, but I am thankful that the Lord saw fit to teach me these lessons and grow me into a deeper and more intimate knowledge of Him.

A week after McKenzie's wedding in 2014, one of my Dad's co-workers called us to say that Dad was on his way to the emergency room because of some issues he had started having that afternoon. The seriousness of the situation wasn't realized until my Mom was told that he might have to be life-flighted. Us kids heard later that his heart had started racing, he couldn't talk straight, and he was really out of breath. The doctors had a hard time figuring out what was wrong with him and finally concluded that it was a possible stress related issue affecting his health in a serious way. Even though he is fine today, and no one thinks much about how good God was other than Thanksgiving day...Dad is here today and I couldn't be more grateful. Thankful.

Thankfulness #4

I’m thankful for loss and for privilege, and contentment in small gain. I can never complain that I didn’t have everything I ever wanted. For all I ever wanted as a child was to feel secure and loved by my family. My immediate family has always been there for me. I believe that’s why God designed our family to have 7 children because He knew how much we would mean to each other as our family made decisions and embarked down different paths than others walked. I can never complain that God wasn’t there, no matter how hard I tried to make myself believe that everything hard in my life was His fault. I could never force myself to think that my poor choices were not my own. God gave me the freedom to make them, and He gave me the freedom of asking Him for guidance along the way.

At this point, I could quote a famous and intelligent person but Abigail Adams said “You do not have to quote great men (women) to be one.” So I won’t.  😉

The Lord has taught me wisdom, peace, understanding and faith; when it seemed as if it was impossible to believe that He had a plan for anything that was going on. I am thankful for the good times that helped me to remember the lessons the Lord taught me in the bad times. So yes, I am thankful for the really, really bad moments as well. I wouldn’t trade this crazy life for anything. Thank you Lord.