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I am thankful for …
As you cook, bake, eat, play football, nap, eat some more, watch football, eat once again, and read blogs today, I encourage you to take time to reflect on God’s blessings in your life and to share with us what you are thankful for this year.
Here’s a Psalm of thanksgiving to inspire you:
Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth!
Serve the Lord with gladness!
Come into his presence with singing!Know that the Lord, he is God!
It is he who made us, and we are his;
we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.Enter his gates with thanksgiving,
and his courts with praise!
Give thanks to him; bless his name!For the Lord is good;
his steadfast love endures forever,
and his faithfulness to all generations.
Topic: Faith & Inspiration, WorldMagBlog
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Ah there it is, I was wondering when this discussion would be posted.
To repeat form my post yesterday:
1) I am thankful for my wife and daughter: the do make the world that I live it
2) I am thankful that my church is well although we recently had the tragedy that a young member of our community died of an infection
3) I am thankful for WMB: only when one can debate with those who disagree with you can one truly refine ones argument
Happy Thanksgiving to all!!
(As discussed yesterday most of the time I am thankful to God, but at times I want to wring “his” neck – right now I will assume I want to wring “his” neck!
).
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On Thanksgiving Day, 2009, I have lots to be thankful for:
I an thankful for Jesus and that he saved me.
I am thankful for the wife that He gave me. Yes, I consider it a miraculous event. It almost didn’t happen.
I am thankful that, so far, all the children have chosen to follow the Lord. To show what I mean, I have a cute (to me) bit from oldest granddaughter’s blog. Caden is 3y 5m, Addison is 1y 3m.
“-What am I most proud of Caden for?? I love to hear that boy pray! It never gets old…yes they are VERY long winded but they are truly a conversation with God…they are so precious! I also love to hear him tell AdEliz about Jesus! (AdEliz is how he says Addison, his sister.)
I have so enjoyed this stage in his life despite the tantrums, the incessant “whys” and his new found ability to negotiate! He tells me often I’m his best girl in the world. That is besides Addison, she’s also his best girl! I hope I’m still his best girl during his teenage years! Deep down I will be…I just know it!”
“I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in the light.” III John 4
I am thankful that I am an American. As was demonstrated in a couple of posts yesterday (Wednesday), we live in a different world. However, I fear that we are destroying the values that made us such a great nation.
I am thankful that this poor boy was able to get an education I didn’t expect to get when I graduated from high school.
I’m thankful for a successful career in a job I mostly enjoyed.
I’m thankful for the fine people I have met along the way, and especially those who helped me along.
And I’m thankful for WMB blog and the people here, even those with whom I disagree.
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I am thankful for my family; my husband who is perfect, my adorable son who I waited and prayed for for so long, my mother who is the strongest person I know, my brothers who turned out so much better than I predicted they would, my sister-in-laws, two things my brothers did right, my nieces and nephews who I could brag on for days, my in laws who give in laws a good name and aunts, uncles and cousins who I always love to see even though I only see them now days at funerals and weddings. I hope I didn’t miss anybody.
This time of year I hear so many stories from people who are devoiced or estranged from their parents or children or who haven’t spoken to a sibling in decades or whose in-laws seem out to get them that I realize how lucky I am that the worse family problem I have this time of year is the goofy niece-in-law who plans the menu and has three people bring lettuce.
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Kbells post 3,
husbands can ever be perfect???? Can you talk to my wife!
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KBells, we are really blessed when other people see humor in our problems, aren’t we?
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I thank the Lord for saving me. He called me to Him. The fellowship has been lopsided due to my pride and fallen sin nature. But he has maintained and pursued relentlessly.
I’m grateful for Cindy and our 3 girls. I am a 47 yr old man with a 7 mos old daughter. I may never see either her husband or children. I may never see any of my daughters’ children.
But that is alright.
I could not have been anyone’s husband or father prior to 1999 and when the moment came He let it happen.
Help us all ea and every one learn to be thankful in all circumstances.
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Musing, I’m also perfect. My wife tells me so. She says,
“So, you’re the perfect one.” “You never make a mistake.” “I know, you’re always right.”
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I am thankful for freedom and for those who sacrifice life and limb to preserve it for people like me.
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chas post 7,
ah then I must continue my wandering in the wilderness looking for such halcyon environments as you and kbells have!
Happy Thanksgiving!
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I am thankful for true believers in America and the ideals upon which she was founded:
1. That God is the author of our freedoms and rights and worthy of our trust (our nation’s motto: “In God We Trust”)..
2. Limited government (an essential for authentic freedom and the defining principle of our Constitution).
3. Liberty for all (our primary passion).
4. Out of many, ONE (”E Pluribus Unum”).
5. Consent of the governed (i.e. “A gov’t of the people, by the people and for the people”).
____________
P.S. I hope all readers of this post know where the quote at #5 came from. If not, please spend Thanksgiving Day studying your American history.
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Joel Mark post 10,
had to check to be sure, but that is the Gettysburg address if I am not mistaken.
Excellent reference since Lincoln as noted by conanthelibrarian established a Thanksgiving in 1863.
It is interesting that this address occurred during a war which established the primacy of the Federal government over the state governments, which perhaps adds some additional color to your point 5.
Happy Thanksgiving Joel!
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Musing, Chas, Hubby and I were sitting in Sunday School once and the teacher said something like “no one is perfect” and I looked over at hubby and mouthed “you are.” the teacher saw me, stopped the lesson and said “no he’s not.” so I will correct my statement and say he is perfect for me.
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What should I leave unsaid?
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kbells post 12,
ah that is indeed different, and you are indeed blessed.
I will withdraw my request for your intervention!!
Have a great thanksgiving!
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Lol, I was thrown by that perfect comment also!
My husband tells everyone that there are only two perfect husbands in the world, him and our good friend. Of course, he also thinks he is Finnish Royalty.
I am very thankful for him and my family.
I am very thankful that the last lines of that psalm are true. God is faithful, holy, loving and all powerful. I am thankful he is who he says he is and that he has saved me to enjoy him forever!
I could go on and on, but haven’t the time.
Happy Thanksgiving to all.
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ki post 15,
your household is either a very liberal or a very forgiving environment if your hubby can make that statement without severe repurcussions!!!
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I am thankful that I had the foresight two decades ago to plant a 30 acre stand of pre-cut, self-stacking timber for firewood.
This has eased my old age a great deal, even though I will spend most of today fetching loads of it to the woodshed, except for time spent eating dinner.
Merry Christmas, everyone, and be careful around all the fireworks!
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Drill post 17,
please have mercy on us until we survive Thanksgiving!! Christmas comes Friday!
What is pre-cut, self-stacking timber????
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Musing,
The Gettysburg Address was delivered (by a Republican) in a war that enabled the USA to preserve the union and also to abolish slavery and emancipate slaves. It further applied the ideals of our founders and granted greater freedom to all citizens. And the cost for this was dear.
There is a difference between preserving the union and establishing the “primacy” of the federal government over the state governments. You distort the meaning of the war, Musing. Conservatives believe there is a place for both the Federal gov’t and a place for state gov’t. The South completely divorced herself from ANY recognition of federal government. I respect some of their grievances, but they went far too far. BOTH must respectfully at times defer to the liberty and authority of the other. The Constitution spells this out, marking out limits for both the federal and state gov’ts.
Leftists, however, fail to grasp this, and thus believe in the “primacy” of the federal gov’t. Nonsense. Some, like you, even capitalize the word federal–as if it might be divine. I guess everyone needs a religion, Musing.
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Finnish Royalty, Cool. Hubby has an ancestor who was a famous pirate.
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JOel Mark post 190,
and as noted, the confederacy was specifically supporting state rights, and the federal government was arguing for a limiting on these state rights.
Emancipation of slaves was not in fact an initial goal of the war, and the emancipation proclamation can be argued to be a tactical effort rather than a strategic goal of the war: it only emancipated slaves in those states which were in rebellion.
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It actually arguably extends farther than that. The issue at root was a political one: which part of the U.S. would remain dominant politically. The partial counting of slaves for example gave a political edge to the South as part of the initial constitution.
As the North developed and new territories were added to the west, it became clear that the South would lose this primacy and a number of compromises were introduced in congress to mediate these differences.
When compromise would no longer work, the South rebelled (they initiated the initial belligerancy), a war which the South lost leading to the present strong central federal government.
Arguably the GOP Southern strategy of the 70s is a continuation of this basic political conflict and at look at those areas which trended more Republican in the 2008 election also maps nicely to the Confederate states.
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I am thankful …
for the day off
that my Marine son is not in a war zone
that my daughter is doing well in college
that I am still employed
for my faith
for America, though I think this administration will do irreparable damage.
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I have lots tro be thankful for this year.
First and foremost that Jesus died in my place that I might have eternal life. Thank you Jesus!
I am thankful that my brother is still with us, and recovering well, but slowly. His recent brush with death is not lost on him.
I am thankful for my family – my mother and sister and step-dad and the “other brother” – my brother’s best friend who all closed ranks as we held vigil over my brother while he was in intensive care in a drug induced coma so he could heal.
I am thankful for my husband who indulges me and supports me in the reying times.
I am thankful for my son and my daughter who are both a joy to us.
– That my son finds it a joy to live with his grandmother who was widowed this year, and has been a help to her and his grandfather who was ailing. That he will be graduating with his Masters in December.
That my daughter will be spending the day with us today.
For my 4 loving pets.
I am so very blessed.
Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
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I am thankful for the blood of Jesus Christ which covers all my sin. I am thankful for the steadfast love of the Lord which endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations. We’ll gather today with my aunt and uncle and cousins and cousins’ kids – three generations following the Lord, by his grace.
I’m thankful for my wonderful husband and our three boys, for a warm, comfortable home and plenty of food to eat, a beautiful place in which to live, a loving church family and a great Christian school community. God has blessed us with so much!
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The following link:
http://assets.cambridge.org/052185/8275/excerpt/0521858275_excerpt.htm
explores this model in more detail
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Musing, please dust off your history. The confederacy absolutely seceded from the union. That is a far more severe policy and position than simply “supporting state rights.” Honest historians (even those sympathetic with states rights) own up to that. The “rights” the South were insisting on were to be “pro-choice” on human slavery and to completely divorce itself from the USA.
In such a case, I support a federal government advocating for a limiting on THOSE state rights.
Emancipation of slaves was indeed an early goal, but not the only goal. The primary goal for Lincoln was union and he even admitted that ran deeper for him than his early and initial goal to emancipate slaves.
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If you had been a Pilgrim in 1621, would you have been thankful?
Their 65 day trip across the Atlantic (“a sea of troubles”) was cold and damp. Aiming for Virginia, the Mayflower found Massachusetts. Scurvy, typhus and personal loss followed them all the way. They landed at Plymouth on December 11, 1620.
Nathaniel Morton, record keeper for the Plymouth Colony, wrote that they had “no friends to welcome them, no inns to entertain or refresh them, no houses, or much less towns, to repair unto to seek for succour; and for the season it was winter… What could they see but a hideous and desolate wilderness, full of wilde beasts and wilde men?”
Of the 103 who boarded the Mayflower, thirty were children. After a severe winter, only 55 souls met the spring alive. 12 of the 18 married women perished. Those who remained barely had the strength to put in the next year’s crop. It was all they could do to care for the sick and dying.
Governor William Bradford wrote; “in two or three months’ time, half of their company died, especially in January and February, being the depth of winter… There died sometimes two or three of a day.”
Supplies soon ran out. The seeds they brought from Europe for growing wheat wouldn’t grow in the stony soil. Friendly Indians like Squanto showed them how to plant corn, but their first crops were poor. The flour was gone so there was no bread or pastries. There was no milk, cider, potatoes or domestic cattle.
The Pilgrims coped with their dire circumstances by lifting their eyes to heaven. Nathaniel Morton called heaven, “their dearest country.” Looking upward was all they could do, according to Morton, to “quiet their spirits.”
If you had survived all their disappointments, tragedies and losses, which way would you have looked?
In 1621, Gov. Bradford chose a day for expressing gratitude to God. They invited Indians to share the feast. Massasoit came with 90 others. The Indian contingent “went out and killed five deer which they brought to the plantation.” Their feast included fish, berries, watercress, lobster, dried fruit, clams, venison, and plums. King David’s words in the 92d Psalm led them on: “It is good to give thanks to the Lord.”
Those capable of great patience amid severe hardship often turn out to be equally capable of profound gratitude in the face of great blessing. Indeed, patience and gratitude rise from the same place in the human soul.
___________________________________
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Joel Mark post 27,
so you are seriously arguing that they did not do this under the banner of states rights?
Sure Joel, sure. I did indeed dust off my history before I went here.
The only question you are arguing is how strongly should states rights be supported. We have seen for example secessionist arguments in Texas:
Texas Secession
But you do seem to be working hard to try to make a distinction without a difference.
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Joel Mark,
once we admit that the federal government can limit states rights, then we open the possibility that the federal government can limit states rights. It is the half pregnant problem.
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Musing, political dominance is always an element in human life. No one would separate it from the explanations for the tensions of that day. But the simple fact remains that the secession triggered the war. Political dominance as a concern was replaced by concern over political existance as a United States of America itself.
And the concern over “political dominance” which you do recognize was steeped in the issue of slavery. And on this issue, the Republicans were correct and just and the South was wrong. Slavery was thus a huge initial factor in the political conflicts that lead to secession and then to war.
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Hey, guys, this is the thankfulness thread, not Whirled Views…
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Musing wrote; “so you are seriously arguing that they did not do this under the banner of states rights?”
Clearly, Musing, you are NOT listening to me in the least. All your blind spots are in place and NOTHING I write can begin to pnetrate your closed mind. I argued no such thing at all. Your refusal to listen honestly (as evidenced from your question) has undermined my deare to continue conversing with you. But I do wish you a happy Thanksgiving.
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Joel Mark post 31,
yes indeed and as a result of the civil war, coming from the reference you provided in your point 5, the states cannot unilaterally make the decision on how far federal control extends.
It is now part of a national political process mediated by the constitution as interpreted by the courts.
If you insist that slavery was a key policy component of the civil war, then you perhaps should explain why Lincoln could only emancipate the Southern slaves?
The answer is simple: the North had no legal claim against slavery itself: in short the North’s participation in the civil war was not predicated on eliminating slavery but rather on suppressing rebellion.
And the outcome of this conflict established the limitations on the states ability to unilaterally determine the limits of federal control. This precedent remains a key issue in politics today.
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Joel Mark post 33,
you would appear to be desparately trying to assert, incorrectly as noted, that the civil war did not effectively hinge on states rights, and did not demonstrate that the states were not the arbiters of where their rights did and did not extend.
But thank you for introducing the Gettysburg address: it is a document which clearly identifies this principal and was a key component of the war which clearly established this principal.
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I am thankful for some moral clarity in Veracruz.
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MacMurray, I sympathize with your procedural concern. I was responding to what I considered to be a distortion of American history, and that is important to me (and important to our legitimate foundations for gratitude). I will do so again if a comment merits a response. I value truth over style and procedure. But I respect and understand your point.
Since I have lost faith in Musing’s good faith in this conversation, I will probably feel less inclined to respond to him than before. I hope to let my previous responses stand for themselves and wish all a joyous Thanksgiving.
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#33 – “deare” should read “desire.”
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MacMurrey,
Do you think my post at #28 would be better placed in Whirled Views? (a sincere question).
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Joel Mark, #39, I think your post #28 was okay here, being on the theme of thankfulness, although this thread was set up more for personal reflection on God’s blessings in our lives.
I don’t feel strongly that the discussion between you and Musing should be carried on in WV rather than here. But there is a WV thread today, and the back-and-forth discussion here clogs up this thread a bit.
Like you, I am thankful to be an American, and I am grateful for God’s grace and providence throughout our country’s history. May God continue to be merciful to us.
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I am thankful for eternal life, knowing that life here and now is really good and later will be much much better.
I am thankful for family and friends and the opportunity to serve the risen One.
I am thankful for the country in which I live and the opportunity for all that is here.
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So in the spirit of Joel Mark’s posts 37 and 10 and in deference macmurray’s post 32, I will expand my post 1.
I am also thankful for a U.S.:
1) which guarantees freedom to each individual
2) which protects the rights of the minorities over the potential tyranny of the majority
3) which has federal government which can defend these rights nation wide
4) which has a constitutional, legal, and democratic political process which provides a check on these federal powers
This structure has built the largest nations with individual rights of this magnitude in the world.
This structure has built the wealthiest nation in the history of the world.
Tis structure has built the most scientifically advanced nation in the world.
This structure has built the most technologically advanced nations in the world.
This structure has built one of the largest legal systems based on laws not people in the world.
To be sure we have the original colonials to thank for our governmental system, but to be honest, as the example of Canada suggests, this would probably haver occurred eventually without the rebellion.
We also must thank all of our combat veterans who risked the ultimate sacrifice for our country.
We do however, have the Grand Army of the Republic to explicitly thank. As was noted by an earlier poster, it was their sacrifice which ensured that this country could long endure. They suffered casualties on a scale which today would be unimaginable. Many of them were volunteers. And if they had not been willing to bear this sacrifice, the U.S. would not exist today. And so a special thanks to the now long dead members of the Grand Army of the Republic, may their souls rest in peace.
God bless us all, we live in what is one of the most special counries which has ever existed.
And a Happy Thanksgiving to all!!
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MAMURREY,
I understand and respect your point. But I reserve the right to respond to a comment that puts a spin on my words in a way that I do not intend. My original comment was fully within the scope of the thread, and I stand by my responses to responses to that post, and my right to respond.
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MMACMURRAY, mis-spelling your title above was only laziness in my typing. Blessings.
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I’m thankful that Jesus waited for me to finish wandering through life and welcomed me back with open arms.
I’m thankful that Daughter, SIL, Grandson, and Granddaughter all know and love the LORD, and that they remain an intact family in this day of easy divorces and family estrangement.
I’m thankful they all live near me, so I can frequently spend time with them [except when Grandson is at school].
I’m thankful for my BFF [as the kids say], Donna, who is always here for me to talk with.
I’m thankful God brought an old friend back into my life after 30 years of living at opposite ends of California.
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I am thankful to God for my redemption, my family and friends, cats, the ocean and the city, and an America which relentlessly beats back the tide of theocracy and tyranny – both without and within.
I am thankful that my mother-in-law is a kind woman and a good cook, that my sister-in-law is a well-read and a good mother, that I’d be proud to be friends with my brother-in-law even if we were not related.
And as we enjoy turkey, dressing, green beans, yams, cranberries, squash, and at least three desserts, I also raise my eyes to the Lord and give thanks…
… for my dishwasher.
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Thomas1 post 46,
wonderfully stated.
Particularly about our freedoms, but also I heartily agree with your comment on the dishwasher.
I am happy to argue that the dishwasher is finest accomplishment of civilization!
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46. Amen to that. Dishwashers are the greatest invention since the printing press.
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I am profoundly grateful for the opportunity to feed on the Lord’s Supper in the beauty of holiness every single week in my local parish. And for being privileged to offer to God with my brothers and sisters in Christ such magnificent prayers as the Thanksgiving after Communion (1928 Book of Common Prayer):
ALMIGHTY and everliving God, we most heartily thank thee,
for that thou dost vouchsafe to feed us who have duly received these holy mysteries,
with the spiritual food of the most precious Body and Blood of thy Son our Saviour Jesus Christ;
and dost assure us thereby of thy favour and goodness towards us;
and that we are very members incorporate in the mystical body of thy Son,
which is the blessed company of all faithful people;
and are also heirs through hope of thy everlasting kingdom,
by the merits of his most precious death and passion.
And we humbly beseech thee, O heavenly Father,
so to assist us with thy grace,
that we may continue in that holy fellowship,
and do all such good works as thou hast prepared for us to walk in;
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
to whom, with thee and the Holy Ghost, be all honour and glory,
world without end.
Amen.
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I am thankful for God’s mercy, kindness and grace shown to me, a sinner. I am exceedingly grateful for his ongoing faithfulness in the face of my lack of faithfulness at times. It is all of his grace.
I am indeed grateful to live in a land in which I can work, live peacefully and openly worship God and proclaim the gospel. I am grateful for the abundance of material goods I have, while at the same time recognizing the spiritual snare that can lie with too much physical comfort.
I am grateful for Christ’s church, as imperfect — and sometimes as unfaithful — as it is. I am especially thankful for my church of the past several years, for the opportunity to grow deeper in my faith.
I am grateful for the many special friends God has given me through the years. May we all see and know one another in eternity.
I am grateful to be employed.
I am grateful for my dogs
. I am (a-hem) grateful, too (really I am) for my cat who bit my ear this morning to wake me up at 6 a.m. and now is stalking me from above the computer desk cabinet near the ceiling and thus causing me considerable consternation.
Blessings to all today — give thanks, think on all God has given us — even our trials and difficulties are circumstances he ordains, all for his glory and our benefit. Praise his name!
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Donna J post 50,
Ah yes cats.
They are wonderful beings: we have two although one is ailing right now.
They often remind me of an internet environment I sometimes visit, but right now the url escapes me.
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I am struggling with feeling thankful this year, so I am thankful (when I put my mind to it) that my relationship with God does not depend on how I feel.
It seems that for everything I think of to be thankful for, I think of a corresponding aspect of the situation that is hard to be thankful for. For instance, I am thankful that my husband has a job, but it is hard having his schedule so at odds with mine because I work days and he works nights. I tell myself to think of it as: even though his schedule is difficult, I am thankful that he has a job. And that, even though he makes only half as much as a year ago, he does make as much as he does. And that, even though I haven’t had a raise in two years and have no idea whether I’ll get one this year, my job still seems to be secure.
I am thankful for a 20 lb. turkey baking in my oven. If I had to buy a turkey, it wouldn’t be so big, but this is an annual gift from the company. It’s given in December, though, so this turkey has been in my (very large) freezer since last year. And I’m thankful that I seem to have only strained my back a little picking it up to put in the roasting pan.
I am thankful for my husband and my sons. And I am thankful that my husband wants to show his love by getting me Christmas presents (though I am trying to figure out how to tell him not to spend much because we can’t afford it, without making him feel like his love is being devalued).
I am thankful for our dog – I keep telling myself that – because she is occasionally quiet and just lets me pet her, and she makes me take walks I might not otherwise take, and because it has been shown that it is healthy to have pets.
I am thankful for the church I attend with the boys, and how much they feel a part of it. I am thankful for my friends there, and the small group I’m part of, and having opportunities to serve by teaching the K/1 class. I am thankful that my husband and I sometimes get to go visit other churches together (he doesn’t want to attend the church I normally go to but doesn’t want to take the boys away from it). I am thankful that he had the opportunity to lead worship at a Presbyterian church a few weeks ago and will also do so twice in December.
I am thankful for my healthy eyes, and the bifocals that enable me to see well with them, for my hands and feet and other parts of my body that enable me to do all sorts of things, from typing this comment to walking to cooking and washing dishes and laundry (guess I’d better be thankful for having so many dishes and clothes, even if they all do need washing right now). I’ve experienced having to be on crutches, and seen my son have to deal with a broken arm, and known blind people and deaf people, and while they are able to do a lot in spite of that, I am grateful for all the working parts of my body. And for medicine to help the parts that don’t work so well, like my thyroid.
I am thankful for computers and all the things I can do with them, both at work and home. I am thankful for this blog, and being able to have my own blog, and all the people I have come to “know” through the internet.
I am thankful that my younger (autistic) son is learning to do more things for himself. He can finally make his own PB&J sandwiches (he’s making one right now), and just the past month or so he’s learned to take showers by himself (he found it very difficult to have water coming down on him, especially his face).
He just told me that he is thankful for me, and for me being such a wonderful cook. He also practiced the speech he wants to give at dinner telling how he is thankful for each of us. He had trouble thinking of anything about his older brother, but he knows that his brother does love him so he is thankful for that. And I am thankful for his earnest desire to be thankful and to do what is right.
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I am thankful for Pauline and only wish she lived closer to me. She and I would be very good friends.
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Pauline, I too am struggling with being thankful for my dog. I guess I should be thankful I haven’t taken her to the pound.
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I am thankful for a loving biological family, church family, and even blog family. (Are all you married people explaining to your spouses why you have to come here on a holiday?
)
I’m thankful for two good phone calls with people I love already this morning, and for spending several hours with my brother yesterday.
I’m thankful for a new car–not totally new, but ten years newer than the last one.
I’m thankful that God provided the means for a car in a year with low income, and that I wasn’t hurt when the old one was murdered.
I’m thankful that I had three families that wanted me to spend Thanksgiving with them (and surely several more in other states that would have willingly invited me had I been available).
I’m even thankful that the invitation that worked out the best for me also extended the invitation to Misten (who has somehow always managed to spend Thanksgiving with me, usually at the home of my brother who just lost his wife).
I am thankful for my dog, and don’t have to “try” to be thankful.
I’m thankful for a good full workload right now.
Happy Thanksgiving, everyone.
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May I pop in to post my THANKFUL list?
* I’m thankful for my family (husband and seven kids).
* I’m thankful that we get to spend time with my husband’s family today.
* I’m thankful that I was able to keep a happy heart last night even when my husband inadvertently doubled the amount of time I had to stand at the stove stirring (from 45 minutes to an hour and a half!).
* I’m so thankful for our church.
* I’m thankful that our family will be baptized somewhere near the Feast of Theophany!
* I’m thankful that I have work during my husband’s layoff (and that he’s kept busy with handyman projects since being laid off).
* I’m thankful for my health.
* I’m thankful for having gotten to attend a wonderful Akathist of Thanksgiving service at church last night.
The service included the following, which is the first kontakion of the Akathist hymn. Very timely for today!
“Incorruptible King of all ages, holding in Your hand every path of human life through the power of Your saving Providence; we thank You for all the good things You do; those we know and those we do not know. For earthly life and for the heavenly joy of Your kingdom to come. Hold us in Your mercy, now and ever we who sing: Glory to You, O God, unto ages of ages. Alleluia.
“Into the world I was born as a weak, helpless child, but Your Angel spread wings of light over me, guarding my crib. Ever since then Your love lights all my paths, wonderfully guiding me toward the light of eternity. Gloriously the generous gifts of Your Providence have been manifest from the very first day. I am thankful to You and with all who have come to know You call out:
“Glory to You, Who called me to life.
Glory to You, Who have shown me the Beauty of the universe.
Glory to You, who have opened before me the sky and the earth as an eternal book of wisdom.
Glory to the eternity of You in the midst of the world of time.
Glory to You for your hidden and evident goodness.
Glory to You for every sigh of my sadness.
Glory to You for every step of my life, for every moment of joy.
Glory to You, O God, unto ages of ages!
(Written by St. Gregory the New Martyr of Russia, while in prison) I can still hear the voices of the deacon, the priest and the choir as they sang all 12 Kontakions. It was ethereal and so beautiful.
God bless you all!
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I am thankful that at least for one more day the government hasn’t denied me the right to worship my Savior Jesus Christ.
I am thankful that men and women volunteer to serve our country in the armed services and that they are willing to put their lives in danger so we can be free.
I am thankful for my wife and family and the support they give to somebody who works 12-16 hours a day to keep a business afloat in this extremely difficult economy.
I am thankful for my employees/co-workers who become like family to me and who I want to work hard to make sure they still have some place to call a work place.
And I am thankful that God thought enough of me that He would send His only Son to give His life for me and my sins.
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I love how Pauline’s rather tentative start (in #52) about struggling with being thankful lately winds up being one of the the longest lists of all.
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Good to see you, Endyblue.
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I am thankful that my son is a student at Covenant College which we heard about through World magazine.
I am thankful the swine flu is behind me.
I am thankful that I am the dishwasher and have Christian music to listen to while I wash.
I am thankful that I could be adventuresome with our Thanksgiving menu and the new recipes turned out nicely and were well accepted by my beloved creatures of habit.
I am thankful that all at our Thanksgiving table get along well together and love each other.
I am thankful for friends who take the time to make me feel like an important part of their lives.
I am thankful for church and the opportunities for spiritual growth.
I am thankful to Jesus for how He died upon the cross so that I could know what new life in Christ is all about.
I am thankful for the Bible and all the joy and wonder I feel as I do daily reading and find something new there each day.
I am thankful for the opportunity to express my thanks here and to see what everyone else is thankful for on this Thanksgiving Day 2009.
Blessings everyone!
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I am thankful that my life has turned out better than I thought it would. I feel thankful though I do not imagine a God to be thankful to.
I wonder if the business about having a God to be thankful to is somehow involved with the idea of how important it is to be obedient to God. I do wonder if the entire thing about thankfulness and obedience and God as a kind of super parent somehow derives from our experience as very small children, when our parents are rather God-like to us.
My wife is probably in the 80th percentile of women suitable for me, perhaps the 99th percentile, which is close enough to perfect for divine credit, though I do not believe in Divinity.
I am grateful for that.
Although at best I am in the 50th percentile of men suitable for my wife, I am grateful that she is a person who believes in making the best of what life hands her.
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At grandparents and grandfriends day at Random Granddaughter’s kindergarten, she performed in a very politically correct version of “The Gingerbread Boy.” RG played a cow. At the end of the play, all the characters, even the fox, sit down with the gingerbread boy and have a vegetarian dinner with him.
It did not end like this:
http://www.topmarks.co.uk/stories/gingerbread.htm
Nor was the gingerbread boy sacrificed on a … well, never mind.
At the end of the play, each child dropped a paper apple in a cup and said what they were grateful for. RG said, “I am grateful for my family, and for trains, cars, and airplanes.”
I was grateful that she was not like one little boy who choked up with stage fright and fled to the circle of other little children.
Afterward, the children sat on a grandparent’s lap and the grandparent said something they remembered about the child. Grandma Random said, “I remember when RG took her first crawl and when she took her first step.”
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Thank you, Donna. Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours.
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At recess, the teacher’s aide asked naughty Random Granddaughter and her naughty friend to promise to be good all day so they could get to play together all day.
Later, I heard RG say to her little friend, “Let’s be good today so we can play together.” She has told to be a good influence, so I am glad she is trying.
Much later, I learned that her naughty friend is the daughter of a billionaire. Her dad’s name is not Bill, or Paul, or Warren, but he is probably on a first name basis with them.
I don’t think RG knows any of this, so none of you tell her. I don’t want her to grow up to be a golddigger. As RG has two mommies, and as her little friend looks like she will be very foxy when she hit 15 or so (as will RG), this is in the realm of possibility.
I probably won’t be around to see, but I will be thankful if Random Granddaughter finds a reasonably sensible way in her life. I doubt that her grandparents preaching to her about Jesus one way or the other will make any difference in that regard.
Today, she is celebrating Thanksgiving with her father’s partner’s mom and stepfather, who is a Methodist minister. As far as I can tell, society doesn’t have names for these relationships, so I presume RG just says “dad” and “grandma” and “grandpa.” Your mileage, etc.
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Who would have known that on a thread about being thankful we would have to put up with more expert in depth and relentless commentary about the Civil War and its leading to a federal government that is somehow the best thing to ever happen.
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I don’t know, but it seems like if you don’t believe in God, it’s maybe more accurate to say you’re relieved as opposed to thankful (as there really is no object to thank there) that things managed, by luck(?), to turn out as well as they did? As in, Whew, well THAT could have been a lot worse.
At any rate, Happy Thanksgiving RN, I hope your family had a very special time together today. Sounds like you may have a budding stage star in your midst?
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#66
“relieved…”
lol
I don’t know if RG is a budding stage star. Playing a cow in the Gingerbread Boy is not exactly first billing. However, she is indeed a drama queen star in her family.
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Just returned from a wonderful dinner with the in-laws and I am thankful for pie.
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My precious DIL surprised me by looking up a special recipe for pumpkin pie and making it for me today, since I was just recently diagonsed with diabetes. I love her so much and am thankful that my son brought her into our family.
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#67: Well, her debut may have been in a modest role in a little-known play. But all the great stage divas have had to begin somewhere.
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I haven’t had time to read all these comments. (I’ll probably finish them tomorrow.) But I want to add my own anyway.
Most of all, I am grateful for Jesus & the salvation He bought for me, for His precious blood, for His mercy, grace, love, forgiveness, & His faithfulness.
And I am grateful for a wonderful man who is a hard-worker, a good provider & a faithful husband…for 2 beautiful & delightful daughters…that my mom is still alive 2 years after being diagnosed with ovarian cancer…for my 2 adorable kitties… a nice, cozy home…a great church…plenty of food in the fridge & pantry…peanut butter…tea…my WMB friends (& now my Facebook friends, too)…& on…& on…& on…
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I am thankful that God has given me a new life.
I am thankful for new starts.
I am thankful for fresh mercies.
I am thankful for the growth that political opponents bring me.
I am thankful that our mistakes are not the last word in our lives.
And last, as the meal settles
I am thankful for my family, and how my daughter now shares her table with others.
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I am thankful for my family – the great amount of love and effort that my parents gave in raising me – my siblings whom I love dearly – my husband who is strong in the LORD and depends upon HIM daily, studying HIS Word.
My husband wakes earlier than I do, he turns on his light next to the bed and reads the Scriptures (he’s in John right now) – he reads Christian authors who proclaim the Gospel of Christ— I often look over very carefully, and see that he is praying. That is the great gift,….. my husband truly seeks to serve the LORD.
I am bless by GOD Almighty
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Musing, good post in 34, succinctly telling what our nation lost in the Civil War.
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I’m thankful for my Great God, for my great family, for my great friends, for my great schooling, for my great life, for the Great love shown to us so we can mirror it in other peoples lives. There is so much to be thankful for! Praise The Lord!
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Ya, actually Musing is right, does anyone really think that all the Confederate soldiers were fighting for slavery? Or Robert E. Lee? NO!
South Carolina seceded because the Northern controlled congress had passed an act putting tariffs on British products, which the South really needed. Any true Southerner would tell you that the War Between the States was not about slavery. (Lincoln made it about slavery after the Emancipation Proclamation (which btw only freed slaves in the South) and even then the southerners knew it was not about slavery) But whatever, who cares, ’cause it’s over now, and there’s nothing we can do about it. 
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IAF #65
And some men are thankful they have someone to have a “debate” with?
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Mickey, did you volunteer to hold the fort (blog) down on Thanksgiving? Hope you did it from home.
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Cheryl, #74, I disagree with you strongly. Musing’s post at #34 was slanted and wrong on many counts.
The Civil War was so costly but we did emerge with a NATION preserved; this nation that I love. We emerged with legitimate freedom for far more Americans–legalized slavery abolished.
Musing is wrong if his implication is that states can make no decisions on how far federal control extends. They still can, on Constitutional grounds and that is better than what we would have had the South won.
And to Musings question about emancipating the Southern slaves, that’s where the vast majority of slaves were. Plus, all positive political progress is incrimental.
Musin wrote: “the North had no legal claim against slavery itself.”
That’s ridiculous. All legal claims take time and submit to a process; one that involves politics as well. Lincoln and the North certainly did act to initiate the process to stop slavery and did so effectively.
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I am thankful for my husband and our daughter.
I am thankful for dog and 3 cats (even tho they keep me from eating and sleeping with everyone else).
I am thankful that we have a place to live and food to eat.
I am thankful for the 1 1/2 jobs we have.
I am thankful that we have enough money to share with others.
I am thankful that we live in a free country.
I am very thankful that I am not a teen, not young and not dating.
I am thankful that our family is in fairly good health–no one in hospital.
I am thankful that God loves me even tho I am a “nut job”.
I am thankful for Jehovah Witnesses who come around on Thanksgiving which makes us dig deeper into our Bibles.
I am thankful for World Magazine.
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Off Topic Post
Joel Mark, this isn’t the thread for this discussion, so I simply won’t discuss this any more beyond this post, except to say that I suspect you haven’t read much actual history from that time period other than the typical stuff taught in schools (including the fact that pretty much everyone in that era, including many Northern states, believed that the association of states was voluntary and could be ended voluntarily; that Lincoln had no power over the slaves in the states that were no longer part of the union but did have some power over the states still in it–and thus the Emancipation Proclamation, if a president unilaterally making a law like that was legal at all, would have freed the slaves he actually had authority to free, it he really meant to free slaves–and the absolute tyranny and lawbreaking of Lincoln, as well as how much power the federal government has had ever since because he got away with it). Let’s just say when Obama got elected, my thought was that Lincoln paved the way for him; he will “finish” what Lincoln started.
Again, that’s all I’ll say, but read up on the period, or read The Real Lincoln, for a lot of it in one book. (You’re sure to disagree with a lot, but it will make you think, and it is very well researched.)
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Thats fine, Cheryl. Your right to respond or not again is respected here. And I am thankful for my freedom to respond respectfully.
Your presumption that I haven’t read much actual history from that time period beyond typical sources may have been meant as an insult to me, I don’t know. But you are incorrect in that presumption. Can we not disagree more respectfully?
But your recent response to me was still largely already answered in my previous posts.
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Cheryl,
I have read widley in this area and I am not convinced by the many efforts afield to demonize Lincoln and his memory and legacy. He was indeed a great President, especially when the full historical context of his difficult decisions are taken into careful view. It is easy to isolate some Lincoln quotes or some painful decisions to distort his legacy negatively, just as it is also very easy to isolate some other quotes and decistions to glorify him unduly. I take the big picture and still tip my hat to him sincerely as a fine American leader and statesman. The times were horrificly complex politically and harsh socially and we came out of it as survivors. His Second Inaugural called us to put the malice away, and I think that was one of the finest orations in human history, considering the historical context.
I am also a huge admirer of Robert E. Lee. He made extremely difficult decistion too and paid for them dearly. I may not agree with all he did but I deeply respect the complex difficulties he brought to the table. He was an honorable man and an American hero, in spite of all the horrible consequences.
Only two weeks ago, I proudly stood under the very arch where Lee was married (in Arlington hous) around 1831. My visit to Arlington National Cemetery was awesome for me.
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Joel Mark, no, that wasn’t meant as disrespect at all, and I’m sorry it came out that way, and thank you for the clarification that you actually have. I truly do respect you. But this is all information I didn’t know myself till a few years ago, and very few Americans do (certainly very few outside the deep South), so it isn’t meant as an insult to say that someone may not know all they need to know about something, if not many people do know that information. At least I myself never am inclined to feel “smug” if I know something someone else doesn’t but it is something that person wouldn’t be expected to know. And I likewise don’t feel guilty if someone tells me I should know more about some bill going through Congress, or some tax law, or some mathematical principle, than I actually do know.
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Thank you Cheryl. Mutual respect assured. I’m sorry in return for even presuming anything else from you. You are a fine and gracious cyber-space friend. No problem.
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Hey, Mickey, since you work for World Mag. do you know someone named Ken Martin? He is the director of Gods World News (i think) right now. Do you know him?
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