Thanksgiving

Unfortunately this picture of all of us (minus 3 who had left and 3 who couldn't make it) is not the greatest (the sun was b-right!) BUT it is priceless to me because it includes all of my dad's siblings (5 total)!  Rounding this crew up for a family photo is something one could go into therapy over ;)  All jokes aside, it is quite evident that we ALL come by strong-will temperaments honestly.  Growing up, I was especially close to my Aunt Becky.  I owe her a whole lot because she really played a big part in my life when I was growing up through my days as a college student (I lived with her for 2 years in Lexington...GO CATS!)  Here you see 3 generations.  Gran and Daddy Jack would be so proud and as a tribute to them, I share these next pictures.

Daddy Jack (John Cornelius III) LOVED horses.  I read a letter he wrote when he was 8-10 years old and in it, he asked his parents for a horse.  He must have gotten one, because, he passed the equestrian love on to my dad, who, in turn, also loved horses as a boy, teen, young adult (horses on hold for his crazy job), and now again as a retiree :).  Tennessee Walkers, particularly, but any will do.  We are horse people. If you travel HWY 90, you might see dad on horseback (makes me A NERVOUS WRECK!)  This picture is of Jack and me (named after Daddy Jack).  Jack is my close cousin's baby.  Sister-cousin to be exact.  I'm kinda like his aunt:) and as many of you know, I genuinely LOVE being an aunt with my entire heart.

Honestly, Jack never tired of petting Java.  Java was his favorite by far.  When we walked off, the horses followed us the length of the fence, until we stopped.  Then they stopped and baby Jack reached out to pet them time and again.

 

My dad, Joe West, real mountain man and cowboy, with Jackson West.  We are big on family names!

And this last one, just because these boys all carry on the family name in some way (Noah John, John being mine and Shawn's grandfather's real name), Clark Robert (Clark is my sister in law's maiden name, and Robert, after his dad and my brother, who was named after my grandmother's brother), and again, Jackson West (West was my grandmother's maiden name).  I'm kind of a genealogy nut - or a beginning genealogy nut I should say. 

 

Thankful for the best Thanksgiving ever.  My heart is being tugged at (not for the first time) because I know there are people out there who don't have loved ones to celebrate with this time of year.  Praying for them tonight and asking with shaky knees....  Lord, what would you have me (us) to do?