An Appropriate Thanksgiving 2
11/23/17
It has been five years since I wrote the original “An Appropriate Thanksgiving” message and to be honest it has been four years too long for this installation. I should not wait until some sort of disaster occurs in my family to write about such holiday festivities but when things do occur God gives us the ability to reflect on the exact reasons why we should be thankful for each day of our lives and to show Him this gratitude just as often and not once or twice a year. I have panned over many holidays during this writing adventure God has given me and I know that what He has shown me to write comes strictly from His heart. Even when times become tough and whether these times are short or prolonged every breath that we take should be remembered as a reward from our Creator.
The last time that I wrote on Thanksgiving or for Thanksgiving was when my cousin passed away shortly before this timeframe. As stated above it has been five years since she left us and while she is dancing in Heaven we still remember her life here on earth and miss her greatly. As this year unfolded we find our nation at a crossroads in which we are struggling to keep things tied together. So many scandals are running around the land, anger towards everyone now fills each heart, and different opinions are not tolerated and brought out as evil when presented. I had a gentleman this last week argue with a comment I made on one of the “hot topics” of the day on a website. Not worried about his differences but the language he used was vile and when I tried to speak to him about it he just told me to grow up where his language was concerned. It is this type of setting that shows us a true sign that this nation is in dire circumstances when it comes to unity and respecting differing opinions. It is really difficult to be thankful in a situation like this, but God commands us to be anyway.
I am thankful that my entire family is alive and well for this holiday and that God has given us another year of celebration to spread towards others. This year was going to be the first year in a long time that our house was going to serve as the host for the family meal and we were totally stoked about this day. As the week unfolded and the plans for Thanksgiving began to come into light, it seemed like everything was on time and going smoothly which was a wonderful sight to behold. Both of my daughters that live in the area were doing their part for the dinner early and making sure that everything was completed and on time, another wonderful sight to see.
Normal operations continued in the house up until the 21st of November when my wife went underneath the house to locate another item that she needed for the dinner and when she arrived at the back of the basement she heard water dripping. We do not have a complete basement but one that is big enough to store some extra food that we have canned or dried. She went over to our water heater and noticed that there was water coming down the side of it so she investigated a bit further before she asked for my assistance. We realized that the pipes going into the water heater were all leaking, a sure sign that this water heater which was installed over twenty years ago was done. At that moment we both stopped and took a look around and noticed that we caught this problem early and that we did not have to deal with any major leaks or worse, a flooded basement.
After the cleanup committee did its job we knew that there would not be any way to have the dinner at our house and we had to call my parents and ask them if we could change venues on short notice. I am thankful that both of my parents are healthy enough to call upon on short notice such as this and when mom did not hesitate in her answer, my heart relaxed a bit and thanked God for such blessings. Yes, such blessings for I was quickly reminded that even though this was a short and temporary need there are far more people out in the world that are worse off than what our need is at this time. I do not know what the future holds for this family or even this nation but I do know that my parents gave me a solid foundation to refer to when situations like this one come along. I am not just talking about turning to them or to God for help in times of need, but to live in relationship with Him at ALL times.
No panic occurred in our house and every preparation that still needed to be done was completed on time before the dinner. I must say that is it a good thing to have neighbors that you consider family for we have had to borrow their shower today and probably tomorrow until the water heater gets replaced. We do not call our neighbors “neighbors” at all for they are family to us and they are greatly appreciated in ways that cannot be adequately expressed. It is a joy to have their relationship with us as well and it is for this reason alone that we love them so dearly. Am I thankful for them? You bet I am and appreciate their presence in our lives more each day.
We do not have one ounce of animosity or anger in our hearts concerning this inconvenience that currently resides over our heads and at the same time, I can honestly state that we are so grateful and thankful that God has given us the ability to meet this need and to give Him praise and glory for His mercies. It would have been easy for us to become sullen and disappointed due to these developed conditions but I made sure that my wife and the girls understood that they did a fabulous job and had no reason to be disappointed or looked upon as failing on any level. We have our family, our house and all other amenities present and will come through this ordeal with flying colors.
On a lighter note, today I am celebrating my 50th birthday. And while I do not mention personal details much it is a special day for me for I have now reached the big 50. My wife asked me this morning how I felt being 50 and I told her that it was just the same as it was when I turned 49, and 48 too. I was born on Thanksgiving Day in 1967 and today I stand tall with pride and am so thankful that my birth mother gave me up for adoption and did not kill me before I left her womb. I am also thankful for the parents that God gave me as well for they did a superb job in raising me, and even though the issue that we are facing right at the moment is a superficial one they both have taught me how to conduct my life when these situations arise. Even though this trial is a small one, the process in which my life came together was one of divine blessings and there is no way possible that I can ever forget that or take advantage of it. We should never forget this truth for when we do our hearts shall never feel the peace and gratitude that e were created to enjoy.
So, all in all, this day is another perfect day that God has given us for my eyes have had the opportunity to witness the sun come over the mountains. Many people in this land are totally lost and have been blinded by the ruler of this earth and do not see the true beauty that God has given us. Even though the nation is going through self-inflicted hard times we cannot afford to throw out God and forget what He has done for this nation. We need to turn our hearts back to Him so that His protection and blessings shall once again fall on this great nation that He created for a purpose. I am thankful for this nation and the standards that she was founded upon and I am thankful for the military that keeps us physically protected from our enemies around the world, and I want them to know I think about them and pray for them each day. I am thankful for my family, my job and all of the benefits that God has blessed us with. I pray that this next year we turn our hearts back to God and allow His restoration process to completely cover us once again. Trials are a part of life and need to be faced head-on when they are presented, we can only accomplish this task with God’s protection and guidance. I trust everyone shall have a blessed Thanksgiving and I pray that we continue to truly remember what this holiday stands for.
DLB
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