My thanksgiving eve reflection that I spoke in church tonight! Hi my name is Chandler Montgomery and I am a jr at canyon. When I read the scripture for this service many things spoke to me but the one thing that stuck out the most was when you become successful don’t boast and take all the credit, remember that the Lord gave you those talents to become successful. As the holidays roll around and everyone starts sending out Christmas cards there is always that 1 family that send out the 2-page letter about all that their kids have accomplished in the last year. I used to get annoyed by these because they were so long and the parents were bragging about how proud they were of their kids. Now I get it they want to share with the world all that god has blessed them with. Moses isn’t saying that God doesn’t want us to be proud of ourselves, he is saying that we need to remember to thank the lord for giving us the talents and skills we needed to achieve our goals. The number 1 thing I am thankful for this year is my family. As I am reminded almost everyday, family is not just genetics, it is those around you who love, cherish, and support you no matter what. My mother is on the top of that list. Me, being a 17-year-old girl and her being a realistic mother, we do fight every now and then, but in the past few months we have grown closer than ever. Her love is absolutely unconditional as many of you can attest to. The next is my sister. I sure you have heard me call her roo. In my head, phone, and heart her name isn’t Kendal. Its roo. When Kendal was born I was obsessed with whinnie the pooh and in my 3 and a half year old mind Kenga and roo sounded like Kendal roo. Once it was in my head is stuck. Roo isn’t just an inside joke or nickname it is something that bonds us as sisters and partners in crime. The last section of my family are those people who aren’t genetically related to me. This list is endless but I will name a few. The Harris’s are like my second family. My 2nd mom Stephanie also has a nickname. Mamma Sita. Every time we answer the phone it isn’t hello its “hola mamma sita.” She is the most positive person I know and I am so blessed to have her. My 2nd and 3rd sisters are Hannah (nickname Honey) and Georgia (nickname G). They are both incredible and gorgeous human beings. I love them to pieces. The next part of my extended family are our neighbors across the street aunt Irene and uncle raul. They have become just like an extra set of grand parents to me. Aunt Irene takes us shopping or to get our nails done for our birthdays and uncle raul has taught me so many life lessons that I cant even count. They are extremely generous people. Whenever we need anything materialistic or not they are there with open arms and loving hearts always. There are so many more people to list off but I was limited to 5 mins. The next thing I am thankful for this season are my grandparents Helen and Jim Harwell. Without them this church, building, and fellowship wouldn’t exist. This church is my family’s church. It started in my grandparents living room as an idea. Then later on I was baptized in this room. As I got busy with swimming and roo got busy with polo our lives drifted away. This is where it comes full circle. I met this super big guy with a beard my freshman year at canyon on the pool deck. We started hanging out and he invited me back to this youth group. I didn’t know it at the time but the only reason he invited me was to vandalize my car and ask me to homecoming. I said yes and also said yes to coming every Sunday night since then. This brings me to the smith family. They are also part of that not related but family category. Without them I wouldn’t have gone to Mexico, triennium, or opened my heart to god. When I am having a bad day and need some comic relief I know where to go. Between kelvin and spencer playing video games, Lissa trying to move around on her crutches, and Alan and Carter working on which hairspray works best in the lime launcher, there is always something fun going on. I am also thankful that I have a safe temperature controlled home. My favorite part about the house is that is completely and totally ours. My parents built it from the ground up 6 years ago. That means at one point all the house was were studs and plywood and that time in construction just so happened to be on my 11th birthday. We hung a sheet from the highest beam and projected a movie. We also passed out sharpies to everyone and let them write all over the 2 by 4s. Honestly I dont know what my mother was thinking letting a bunch of kids run around a construction site with sharpies at night but hey we got a story out of it! Also in our home is a huge restaurant sized refrigerator, sink, and stove/oven. Yes we are total foodies! We do not have a microwave and with that I have had the wonderful life experience of learning to cook. I am so thankful for all the to die for recipes I have been able to taste and bring nutrients to my body. A lot of those to die for recipes come from my mothers experimenting! I am so proud of her because in the midst of all the chaos that has been our lives in the past few months she has started up a business using her passion for food called Maris table. If u are interested in more information talk to her after service. My list of thing that I am thankful for can go on forever. God has blessed me with so many incredible things in my life that I would never be able to list them all. I would like to close with my extreme gratitude for this congregation. You all have welcomed me with open arms every Sunday, weather that is in church or at youth group. You have offered me so many more opportunities and learning experiences that I wouldn’t have gotten anywhere else. So thank you being the people you are and helping me know what loving and caring people look like.
Posted on: Thu, 28 Nov 2013 06:19:34 +0000
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