Giving of Thanks

Well, here we are again.  Its that time of year, in late November that we are all 'reminded of a time to celebrate a very typical American holiday called Thanksgiving. 
I am also reminded of many Thanksgiving celebrations through out my life.....  They always bring a warm and cozy reminder of family, and good times of sitting around the dinner table laughing and snickering and talking about mundane family stuff. 
 ... Family would arrive one by one to the house... carrying steaming warm dishes of food, with tantalizing aromas wafting through the air.... one by one, the dishes would be strewn all over the kitchen counters until there was literally no more room left.

Thanksgiving always seemed to be the one date on the calender, that you could count on seeing a man in an apron.  I think my Dad wore one once,and for sure,  you could always count on Grampa Elmer to have that silly womans apron tied around his waist, accompanied by that warm Afseth smile.... welcoming incoming guests with a friendly "Hello"... and usually a big hug to follow!

At Thanksgiving, there was always so much food to eat.  All the relatives made sure of that!  Someone brought the salad, someone the munchies... someone made the desert, and potato salad.  My aunties always brought their specialties..and their kids.  My cousins!
The years we gathered at Gramma and Grampas house were so special to me, even more now with their passing away a few years ago.
I remember how "us kids" used to sit at a little table of our own, smack dab in the middle of the kitchen!  Parents checking in now and then to make sure we were eating......  and the occasional scolding and reminding to "Be Good!"
Then, I remember how very grown up I felt, as I "Graduated" to the 'Big Dining room table with the "Grownups!"....
That table was the really special one...it had been all set up with a fancy table cloth, Gramma's special China and REAL silverware, brought out once a year for the occasion!  And, the unforgettable Polka music playing on the stereo (yeah, we had actual  'HiFi Stereos with big vinyl records back in the day).. and my Grandparents had the absolute best 'old fashioned music that you can ever imagine...  of course, my poor dear ole Grampa had to endure our 'teasing about it back then, (and what I wouldn't give to hear it now.....)

A very special part of my childhood Thanksgiving celebrations came before we even touched the turkey....  After all the dishes made it to the tables, and the water was poured in glasses, and everyone was starving, and ready to just dig in and eat.........  Grampa would call us all together, as ONE BIG FAMILY....united together...sometimes holding hands, or touching one another in a loving way..a hand on a shoulder, an arm around a waist.... holding a childs hand...... together in one big circle we would stand...united....as Grampa prayed.
Grampas prayers were the culmination of the entire years events.  He would talk to his Lord as if he was face to face with him, right there in the room.....
Grampa would Thank the Lord for protecting his family durning the year, for all the many Blessings we all had, for our health, and protection.  He personally gave Thanks in such a dear and tender way..... and last of all, he thanked the Lord for the food.
Clearly, Thanksgiving Dinner was not just about the food to Grandpa.  He made sure to Thank The Lord for every good blessing from the entire past year!
The food was only the added touch......
I think that at those family prayers, not an eye remained dry.  Such simple sincerity and honesty before a loving God, exampled by such a simple and humble man...... was the beauty of the celebration for all of us, and the glue that held our family together.

These days, we are now all spread out...   many miles exist between our family members.  Holidays come and, we have to find ways to continue our celebrations distant from each other... but one thing we will always have, and that will always bring us back again, is the rich legacy that our Parents and Grandparents left us.

They showed us what a real Thanksgiving celebration is about......

A "Giving of Thanks" to the Lord that provided a blessed year, and will continue to provide and protect for another year to come...... even until we go to be with him, as Grandpa and Grandma exampled to us.

So, on this Thanks giving day.....

I Give Thanks for my family.

For the many memories that I cherish, and that help me to continue on in this world.

I Give Thanks for my friends, my health, my life.

God Bless you all.... and Happy Giving of Thanks Day!!!  

WHY? WHY NOT?

A recent post reply on Facebook made me stop and think about what I term; Black and White thinking.  In the aftermath of several atrocities
being committed on American Soil,
I have lamented on the question, WHY? 

Why would a trained professional psychiatrist/doctor soldier just up and grab a gun and yell "Allah Awkbar" and proceed to shoot down and kill as many fellow comrades in arms as he possibly could?

Why would another soldier fresh from combat, come home to American soil
and premeditate a horrific murder of his wife?  And continue on as if nothing
was wrong, until he got caught?

Why did a three time deployed combat ready soldier in Idaho, come home
only to die of his own vomit, after a night of binge drinking?

Why are soldiers playing Russian Roulette with  a loaded gun in the barracks, and using bullets in loaded guns, and blowing their brains out when they find a bullet?

Why the sudden upsurge in violence, mass murders, suicides?

Why would a President of a once strong and mighty nation suddenly
debase all of our religious sentiments, and proclaim there is no "Christ"
in the Christmas holiday?

Following the 5 W's you can ask yourself the same questions.
Who, What, Where, When, and most importantly; WHY?

WHY so serious?

Being raised with moral ethics, a sense of right and wrong,
and imprinted with Black and White thinking,
...I simply cannot with all good conscious,
liberally bend with every blowing of the wind
of ever changing values and ethics
of a debased society.

 IF you have ever read the bible from cover to cover
and delved into the Greek and Hebraic,
combined with thoughtful insight, prayer
and meditation of scripture....
you will soon realize that as an
independant thinker you must stand for something,
or "Fall" for everything.
  Believing the Bible demands this...

Contrary to popular political correctiveness,
I chose or choose the more unpopular
Biblical perspective.
Given todays attitudes and choices
concerning integral moral ethics and values,
I am  finding it harder and harder
to not be jaded and cynical,
and often times just judgmental in my outlook.
And, that very word,'Judgmental has developed
a bad connotation. 

To Judge something, anything, is to be very wise.
 It is to 'discern a thing...
...and evaluate the outcome thereof...'

In my book, judging is a very good thing...
again, against the flow of political correctiveness....

I am guilty of Black and White thinking.
I am guilty of Good against Evil.
I am guilty of having a strong sense of right and wrong,
tho often times I am guilty
of sinning against my own beliefs,
(but not with out turmoil to my conscious....)

Yes, I am often  opinionated, sarcastic,
cynical, and jaded.

Yet, on the other side of my strong opinions,
is a person of great empathy and compassion
which is often a dichotomy of sorts to some people.

The heavy cross I carry,
when faced with observation of horrific atrocities
is always the same haunting question;" WHY? "

Over and over again, I come to the same conclusion...
we are now living in a debased society
with very non-moral and liberally
non- accountable attitudes of; WHY NOT!

That very phrase, 'WHY NOT?';
that very challenge to all past integral core values
has been the most damaging
of all challenges our society
has ever experienced.
and now we are seeing the fruit of...

'WHY NOT.