Enter His Gates with Thanksgiving

Why should we exercise gratitude? This week I’m excited to share thoughts from fellow food writer Daisy Fuentes Dronen about continual gratitude, how to practice it, and why it matters so much. Keep reading below.

“The kitchen provides for the table to be bountiful and it is there that provisions come from. Could we create space in the kitchen to post the psalm we are memorizing to remind ourselves that we don’t live by bread alone?”

— Daisy Fuentes Dronen

Can you feel it? November is here and already you can feel the overwhelm. You begin to sense your heart rate speed up as your mind takes off racing down the to-do list.

You’re already tired of the discontent that rises up in your heart as you realize that the one thing you wanted to accomplish, will once again have to wait until tomorrow. Is there a better way to help your heart find contentment and peace during this time? How could you make this time hopeful and full of thanksgiving for you and your family?

Post by fellow food blogger Daisy Fuentes Dronen

The word of God is active and ready to transform our hearts as we renew our minds with it. Everyday, you spend time in three spaces without fail- the bed, the kitchen, and the table. Could I invite you to use these spaces as gates through which you enter with thanksgiving? When we see them as such we provide for visual markers that aid us in memorizing scripture together.

In the morning as you open your eyes and feel the cozy warmness of your bed take the psalm you are memorizing and read it. If little souls share a home with you, when you hear the pitter-patter of little feet in the mornings let it be a reminder that you get to instill in them love for His word. Enjoy the littles snuggles as they join in and cozily read the word together. You will have one more opportunity in the evening as you tuck them in bed, read, and practice the psalm you are memorizing, take advantage of that time too.

The transition to the kitchen will happen quickly because we awake hungry. Could we use this hunger to remind ourselves that He sets a table before us? The kitchen provides for the table to be bountiful and it is there that provisions come from. Could we create space in the kitchen to post the psalm we are memorizing to remind ourselves that we don’t live by bread alone? Three times you will meet at the table during the day, these are three opportunities again to read and practice the verses as you memorize them. This is an example of a rhythm that is also an invitation. It invites you to use the rhythm of your own home to create space in which memorizing his word can still your soul while diminishing the pull of busyness on your family.

What psalm to start with? There are many good ones that are not overwhelming in length but may I suggest Psalm 100? It is a beautiful reminder of how the Lord cares for us and invites us to enter his gates with thanksgiving. Do not be discouraged if the going is slow but instead focus on the grounding of your soul that creating space for memorizing his word brings. My family is entering into this rhythm alongside you. I pray that we are willing and available to receive his grace and therefore enter into his rest.

May the time around your Thanksgiving table provide one last gate through which you can invite others to join in and give thanks alongside you.

Written by Daisy Fuentes Dronen

Are you Team Sides or Team Dessert?

Team: Sides

Daisy’s favorite side at Thanksgiving is Sweet Potatoes

Where do you typically celebrate Thanksgiving?

And how do you contribute as guest or host?

Daisy and her family normally enjoy Thanksgiving with her in-laws and host a Friendsgiving at her house around the holiday. As guest at her in-laws, she loves being able to help prep with her family and make connections in the kitchen. For her Friendsgiving she inciters her guests to bring their favorite side dish or dessert.

Daisy Dronen is a Honduran born writer, arrived in the US via Texas, and now sets tables in Dayton, OH. She writes by grace- prose, poems, and other pieces that break open a bit more the ethereal and delicate gauze that stands between heaven and earth. Daisy is a graduate of the University of Texas where she obtained a degree in Nursing and Spanish Studies. Daisy is the bell-wether table gatherer behind the [IF:Dayton](https://www.facebook.com/ifdayton) community leading the women to gather at the table and find Jesus in each other. The kitchen is her oasis for creativity and hospitality. She lives in the Gem City with her husband and three littles.

Her writing has been featured on Refine Journal, Bravery Magazine, Eclectic Shades, Dayton Notes, and Dayton Women in the Word.

Follow her on Instagram @daisyfd and Facebook.