• About Gina
    • Contact Me
  • Travel
    • Asheville, North Carolina
    • Charleston, South Carolina
    • Charlotte North Carolina
    • Nashville, Tennessee
    • Rochester NY

Gina DiMartino

~ finding beauty in pain

Gina DiMartino

Monthly Archives: November 2015

Thankful?

27 Friday Nov 2015

Posted by ginamd in Uncategorized

≈ Leave a comment

For me, Thanksgiving involves being stressed, cooking too much food, eating too much food while the football game plays in the background and watching about a million commercials about black friday sales and then people going to black friday sales and being trampled to death to save a few dollars.

The early thanksgivings started because the Pilgrims were thankful when they had a good harvest. They would gather all the food they had been growing and store it for the winter. They got some turkeys, the Indians brought some deer and they had a three-day feast celebrating their health, friendship, good harvest, and being thankful to God for getting them through another year.

“By autumn of 1621, the Pilgrims had much for which to be thankful. After the harvest, Massasoit and about ninety other Indians joined the Pilgrims for the great English tradition of HARVEST FESTIVAL. The participants celebrated for several days, dining on venison, goose, duck, turkey, fish, and of course, cornbread, the result of a bountiful corn harvest. This tradition was repeated at harvest time in the following years.”

I just feel like we’re missing the point.

I want Thanksgiving to be a day where we enjoy being with each other. Where friends and family can come together and cook food together without stressing out. Where families don’t spend the day bickering or drinking too much. Where football isn’t the most important thing and where you don’t get bombarded by thousands of black friday commercials. Where saying what your thankful for at the table before the meal isn’t just a habit and I can blurt out I’m thankful for this stuffing…  really did that yesterday.

But seriously. Are we really thankful? I feel like Thanksgiving is just a gateway to black friday and the rest of the Christmas insanity.  I guess I’m just disenchanted. I want my own thanksgiving. with my own family. one that involves people who actually like spending time together. people who enjoy being around each other. who like cooking together. who like playing games. who aren’t rude, condescending, sarcastic. My dream family is so different from the family that i have. How un thankful am I?

Maybe we just need to take a step back. Maybe we need to reevaluate how we’re spending this day. It should be about spending time with the people we do life with. Sharing with others around us. Being generous. Helpful. Loving. Expressing our thanks for the people in our lives who are there for us. Who are important to us. Being thankful to God for the harvest. Or at least for the fact that we have more than enough food to get us through the winter. Maybe we should spend time thinking about people who are less fortunate than us. Maybe we should donate a turkey. Or make a meal for someone else. Or invite a family to join us who might not be able to make their own meal. Or give pies to homeless people on the street.

Maybe it’s about being around the table. Maybe the tv isn’t on. And we aren’t thinking about shopping. Maybe the being thankful part isn’t a rushed time before the meal while we’re secretly hoping the food isn’t getting cold. I feel like we get things so upside-down here. We think the wrong things are important while we forget about the things that really matter.

Maybe it’s time to turn some things around.

on paris…

15 Sunday Nov 2015

Posted by ginamd in Uncategorized

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Boston Marathon Bombing, God of Angel Armies, hope, paris

So many thoughts about Paris and the other awful things happening in the world. I’ve had so many conversations this weekend with friends and other survivors from Boston. Of course this hits close to home. Of course it brings back memories, thoughts, fear.

In a small way I KNOW what the people in Paris are feeling. And although it is so far away, these scary terrorist attacks halfway around the world rock our Boston survivor world here in America. Nicole said “I will forever be heartbroken every time I hear about someone else going through such an awful time. And I will think about all of those hurt this week, all of those who lost those they love, and all of those who will have to deal with that mental/emotional struggle. I hope they find peace over time.” And that is how we feel. We are heartbroken, disturbed, scared, emotional.

This is a bit of a blog I wrote right after the bombing and hopefully it can bring some encouragement to people today. The world is in chaos. Terrible things happen every day, everywhere. But, God is STILL in control. He ALWAYS will be, and for those of us who trust in Him, he will always be on our side!

From 4/29/13 (14 days after the bombing)

The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them.
Psalm 34:7

I haven’t really looked at any of the pictures. I haven’t watched any of the news. I lived it, I don’t want to see it over and over. For me that works, for others, they want to explore every photograph and put the pieces together.

Anyway, there have been several comments that whenever we show up in a picture, there is utter chaos surrounding us, but we all look so peaceful. We are either laying patiently on the ground, or sitting calmly. In the midst of chaos, peace. And I never would have had a second thought about it, but several people have brought it up today. And I’m not ready to write about all that happened in those moments. The explosion etc, but I would like to address this one subject.

First of all, there must have been hundreds of angels all around us. The new Chris Tomlin song Whom Shall I Fear kept running through my head. “The God of Angel armies is always by my side”. So yes, I believe there were angels all around us. We were so close to the bomb, we should be hurt much worse, or even dead. Although our injuries are extensive, they should have been much worse.

Second, Colton brought this up to me today. People keep asking “where was God in all of this?” Just look at the pictures. Look at the chaos and then look at me or Rebekah, or Peter or Kim or Colton. That’s where God was. We are His children, filled with His Spirit. In the midst of chaos, He WAS there.

Third, I believe that God gave us so so much grace. Grace to think clearly. To know how to respond in trauma. To know to tie tourniquets. Or to coach people to breathe. Or to know how to communicate with the first responders. Not one of us lost control or freaked out.

Someday I’m sure I will look at the pictures. But I just want you to know today, that God was there. He was with us. We would not be where we are today if it weren’t for Him.

And as we are experiencing more and more of His grace everyday, we are amazed and speechless and we just keep clinging to Him.

I know who goes before me
I know who stands behind
The God of angel armies is always by my side
The One who reigns forever
He is a friend of mine
The God of angel armies is always by my side

I am from…

09 Monday Nov 2015

Posted by ginamd in Uncategorized

≈ Leave a comment

I am from bunk beds, from old furniture and messy piles

I am from the farmhouse

I am from the woods, bay windows, porch swings and open fields

I am from foggy windows, family dinners, from DiMartinos, Avilas and Smiths

I am from loud dinner tables, Italian cookies and Red Sox

From I will never be enough and I will always love you

I am from Jesus

I’m from New York, from pizza and pasta with homemade sauce

From the “drive safe”s, the “goodnight I love you”s, and the “ok then”s

I am from the organized, the clean, the messy and disorganized

From frosting, shrimp cocktail and crackers & cheese

From the sacrificial, hard working, determined and loving

This is where I am from

Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 360 other followers

Recent Posts

  • sit with it
  • Books I read in 2021
  • still
  • a quiet life
  • don’t miss the magic

Archives

  • February 2022
  • January 2022
  • February 2021
  • December 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • January 2020
  • June 2019
  • March 2019
  • September 2018
  • August 2018
  • July 2018
  • March 2018
  • December 2017
  • November 2017
  • October 2017
  • September 2017
  • August 2017
  • April 2017
  • March 2017
  • January 2017
  • December 2016
  • November 2016
  • October 2016
  • September 2016
  • August 2016
  • July 2016
  • April 2016
  • March 2016
  • February 2016
  • January 2016
  • November 2015
  • October 2015
  • September 2015
  • August 2015
  • July 2015
  • June 2015
  • May 2015
  • April 2015
  • March 2015
  • February 2015
  • January 2015
  • December 2014
  • November 2014
  • October 2014
  • September 2014
  • August 2014
  • July 2014
  • June 2014
  • May 2014
  • April 2014
  • March 2014
  • February 2014
  • January 2014
  • December 2013
  • November 2013
  • October 2013
  • September 2013
  • August 2013
  • July 2013
  • June 2013
  • May 2013
  • April 2013
  • March 2013
  • February 2013
  • January 2013
  • December 2012
  • November 2012
  • October 2012
  • September 2012
  • August 2012
  • July 2012
  • June 2012
  • May 2012
  • April 2012
  • March 2012
  • February 2012
  • January 2012

Twitter Updates

  • sit with it ginadimartino.com/2022/02/21/sit… 3 months ago
  • Books I read in 2021 ginadimartino.com/2022/01/10/boo… 4 months ago
  • still ginadimartino.com/2022/01/05/sti… 4 months ago
Follow @Gdimar

Blog at WordPress.com.

Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy
  • Follow Following
    • Gina DiMartino
    • Join 360 other followers
    • Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
    • Gina DiMartino
    • Customize
    • Follow Following
    • Sign up
    • Log in
    • Report this content
    • View site in Reader
    • Manage subscriptions
    • Collapse this bar