Thanksgiving 2015

Thanksgiving is around the corner. I’m disappointed in our local stores. They went from Halloween to Christmas in their displays and what we can purchase. I remember when Thanksgiving was a big celebration and I could get wonderful decorations. In the past, I’ve sent out Thanksgiving cards to family. I didn’t see any to purchase. This makes me sad.

Thanksgiving is a time to reflect on all the Lord has done for us. We should do this every day, but we have a special day set aside in our country to do this. In 1863 President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a national day of "Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens", to be celebrated on the last Thursday in November.

In our family, we gather together in one of our homes. We arrive in the mid-morning and stay late into the night. We feast as much as we can and thank the Lord for His bounty. Our morning is filled with snacks and our big meal is in the middle of the afternoon.

A tradition my son started was to have everyone in the family share what they are thankful for. This tradition started the year his dad and daughter passed away. That Thanksgiving was a very tearful time. We all said we were thankful for different things, with every person acutely aware of the missing loved ones. We were somber and sad, yet thankful to our Lord for His love, mercy, provisions, and especially His salvation.

I love pumpkin pie. It is my favorite. My birthday is near Thanksgiving and sometimes falls on that day. Ever since I was a child I had pumpkin pie for my birthday. I keep up the tradition. I normally make my own because I’m picky as to the flavor and I make my own crust. My daughters have learned how to make it the way I love and sometimes I get one made by their hands. The pie one of them made becomes even more special and tastes heavenly.

After our huge meal, there are at least three different deserts to taste and we have coffee. Football is on the television and table games will be brought out. If the weather is nice here in Colorado, a game of football will be played or at least watched by young and old at sometime during the day. Basically it’s a day for family, but we don’t forget to thank our Lord.

What do you do to celebrate Thanksgiving? If you live in another country, you may not celebrate. I hope you still take time to thank the Lord for all His blessings He pours down upon us. There are many blessings we don’t even recognize. We wake up, we breathe—we are alive. There are so many blessings, we could never count them all.

Take a moment to thank the Lord.

Have a fantastic Thanksgiving!

Psalm 16:8 Oh, give thanks to the Lord! Call upon His name; make known His deeds among the peoples! If you haven’t memorized this verse, please do so. 

Verses in NKJV unless otherwise stated
  
Other Thanksgiving and being thankful posts: Thankfulness   Thankfulness 2

 

 

Thankfulness 2

In the Spring, a kitten was born to a lynx family. His parents named him Patch, which means noble. Patch was a happy kitten being taken care of by both parents which is rare because normally only the mom raises kittens. This Lynx family lived in North America where it gets cold and the snow is measured in feet. The region is unpredictable and sometimes cruel.

Patch grew fast. His mom fed him well, playing with his food before devouring it. He father taught and rough housed with him. He didn’t have any worries. But one day a tragic thing happened.

The snow started to melt and shift. His mom chased a rabbit.

She had almost caught the fast running rabbit when there was a loud crack. A giant shelf of snow and ice sheared off the face of a cliff. The snow and ice slid down the mountain getting bigger and bigger gathering more snow. It grew into a huge avalanche! The avalanche took everything in its wide path including the two running animals who couldn’t out run it. They didn’t have a chance of escape!

Patch’s mom died in that avalanche. His dad held him tight as he gave Patch the news. Patch cried all night. Now, there were only two of them and his dad would need to raise this young kitten. His dad, Lancel, worried how to raise Patch by himself. Male lynx don’t normally raise their young.

Lancel did his best. He hunted food for them and started training Patch. At first Patch was sad. He missed his mom. Thoughts of her purrs and smell made him sad. He even missed his bath.

For more than a week he moped around. Lancel was concerned for Patch. One day he couldn’t find Patch. He searched all around their den.

“Patch where are you? I brought food.”

“Meow, I’m up here.”

Up in a tree he spotted his son. “What are you doing up there?”

“I wanted to see our range.”

“What do you see?”

“I see trees, a meadow, lake, an eagle soaring, and high mountains.” Pointing, Patch added, “There is a herd of big animals with antlers.”

“They’re probably elk. I heard a bugle a while ago. How long have you been up there?”

“A while.”

“Are you coming down soon? I brought food for you. I thought you could practice hunting it.”

Grinning, Patch climbed down. “I’m ready. Let it go.”

Lancel released the ground squirrel. The squirrel scurried away. Patch waited then leapt on it. Lance notice this was getting too easy for Patch and he would need to make the catch larger and the chase more difficult.

“Thanks Dad, that was tasty.” Patch said as he licked his paw and rubbed it on his face.

“I’m glad you enjoyed it. How about a leaping game before bed.”

They leaped around sometimes from rock to rock or on the ground. Patch tried to leap as far as possible. A stick or a rock was used as a target. One time, Patch jumped off a rock and took a tumble. Splat! He slid into a large muddy puddle.

“Are you alright?” asked his dad.

Patch giggled. “That was fun!”

Lancel shook his head. “Let’s go clean you off in the lake.”

The swim in the lake felt good after the mud bath. They climbed out and sunned on a rock to dry. “Dad, thanks for the leaping game. Falling into the mud was fun. I enjoyed swimming in the lake too. Thanks for a terrific day!”

“I bet you’re tired. I know I am. Let’s climb into our den.”

After he got settled in for the night Patch said, “Dad, our range is beautiful. I’m thankful you picked such a lovely place for us to live. There is so much to see and do. I like living here. When are you going to teach me to hunt my own food?”

Lancel laughed. “I was just thinking you should come with me tomorrow.”

“Cool!”

“You better get some sleep. It may be a long and tiring day.”

Patch’s legs twitched as he dreamt of chasing animals around the meadow.

The next day his dad gave him pointers and observed Patch seek out prey. Lancel was correct, the day was long and tiring for Patch but he was rewarded by catching a small mouse.

“Dad that was the best meal I have ever had!”

“That’s because you worked hard for it and caught it all by yourself. I’m proud of you.”

“Thank you for teaching me how to hunt. It’s fun!”

“Well, sometimes hunting is a lot of work and can be disappointing if you don’t catch anything. There are dangers too.”

Every day they hunted and Patch was becoming a competent hunter. Together they took down a small deer.

“Dad that was the best meal I have ever had!”

Amused Lancel said, “I remember hearing you say that before.”

“I mean it! Thank you for trusting me to help you.”

A few days later, snow fell from the sky. Patch ran around licking at the flakes. Lancel laughed at his antics.

“Dad this snow tastes good. Give it a try.”

Lancel laughed and stuck out his tongue. He hadn’t done that since he was Patches age. Lancel marveled at the joy Patch brought to small ordinary things.

“I love the snow!” said Patch.

“The snow run off fills our streams and the lake with water. On the other hand, snow makes it more difficult to find food. Snow is a blessing and sometimes a hardship.”

“I know, but I am still thankful for it. See how pretty the trees look with the snow on them?”

“Patch thank you for being so thankful.”

Lancel was thankful that Patch was doing so well after his mom died. Patch could have turned out differently. Patch had an amazing attitude. Lancel was proud of his almost grown kitten. Soon, Patch would be able to live on his own. He just hoped it was not too soon. He loved having him around.

■■■

This time of year we make a habit of counting the things we are thankful for. My list is long. Do you have a list? A thankful heart is a happy heart. We should tell our loved ones we are thankful for them. The Lord wants us to be thankful. We should tell the Lord thank you for the wonderful things he has done and given us. Ultimately everything we have is from the Lord. Ephesians 1:17a Every good and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights…

Memorize one or all of the verses: Ephesians 1:17a Every good and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights…

Psalm 107:1a Oh give thanks to the Lord, for He is good!

1Thessalonians 5:18 in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

Verses in NKJV unless otherwise stated

Thankfulness

What are you thankful for? This week is Thanksgiving week. We will celebrate it on
Thursday. 

 

I am thankful for many things. I will give you a partial list. I am thankful for my family, which includes my husband, Jimmy. He is thoughtful and an encourager. I have three grown children who are married. I am thankful for them and the eleven grandchildren they have given me. My parents live a few hours away from me, and I am thankful for them and that they led me to know the Lord. I’m most thankful for Jesus Christ who died for my sin. I trusted Jesus as my Savior when I was five years old.

Jesus has done so many things for me and through my life. Without His leading, I would not be writing this blog and you wouldn’t be reading it. I’m thankful for the gift and desire He has given me to tell stories. I love to write these stories for children like you to read them. I wish I could see your face as you read them or they are read to you. It would be wonderful to tell you the stories in person. Maybe someday in heaven we can do that.

Take a moment and write or have someone write for you the things that you are thankful for. It would be fun for you to share them with your family on Thanksgiving Day.

I would love to hear from you. You can share anything you wish in the comment box below. Write your thoughts, then click the drop down and choose one. I will answer your comment. Remember, I pray for my readers and that means YOU!

 

 

 







Have a wonderful reflective Thanksgiving!

You can read about trusting Jesus as your Savior just like I did: Faith 3

Colossians 3:17 And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him. 1 Thessalonians 5:18 In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

Memorize: 1 Thessalonians 5:18 In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

Verses in NKJV unless otherwise stated.