Giving Thanks.

This week we in the United States celebrated Thanksgiving, a day we eat turkey and lots of food being thankful for all our blessings. Many people say they are thankful for their family, their health, their job(s), their friends, and more. I say the same things, but what specific things can we think of to be thankful for.

I am thankful that my middle daughter sees things that need to be done and takes initiative to do the job. The day before Thanksgiving, she saw our backyard covered with leaves. She grabbed a rake and raked all the leaves then bagged them all with the help of her younger brother so they could be taken away.

I am thankful that same daughter who does not like eating blueberries or blueberry muffins decided to try my blueberry pie. She then when on for some time saying that it was the best tasting pie she ever had. She does not eat blueberries by themselves or in muffins, but she loves that blueberry pie (she had another piece today) and asked when I would make another one. That made me so happy.

I am thankful that two of my boys and one of my girls have jobs doing work they enjoy. They are faithful in doing their work.

I am thankful for God’s provision for our family. God gave my boy a car so he could go to and from work with his brother and help the family out when transportation is needed.

I am thankful for God’s plan of salvation where He took me, a person who broke His law and deserves to be punished, and reconciled me to Himself by having His Son, Jesus, whose birthday we celebrate at Christmas, pay the penalty for my sin, a penalty I could never pay. I accepted the offer of Jesus’ payment for the penalty of my sins. Now I know I will live with Him forever when my time on earth is through.

What are you thankful for?

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Merry Christmas!

Happy Thanksgiving!

We Thank Thee by Ralph Waldo Emerson

For flowers that bloom about our feet;
For tender grass, so fresh, so sweet;
For song of bird, and hum of bee;
For all things fair we hear or see,
Father in heaven, we thank Thee.

For blue of stream and blue of sky;
For pleasant shade of branches high;
For fragrant air and cooling breeze;
For beauty of the blooming trees,
Father in heaven, we thank Thee.

November 25, 2021, is Thanksgiving Day in the United States.  It is a day we are supposed to reflect on the past year and be thankful.  However, I am afraid for many it is a day full of grumbling and complaining.  Why complain and grumble, which sours our day and the day of those around us, when we can stop and think of things we are thankful for.

When you wake up, be thankful for a new day.  When you eat, be thankful for the farmer, the baker, the truck driver, and the store employees that enabled us to get the food before you.  When you go to you job, be thankful that you are healthy and that you have the ability to do the job you have.  When you go to school, be thankful for those willing to teach you and prepare you for life after school.  When you see brothers, sisters, and other family members, be thankful that you are not alone and that you have people who love and care for you.  When you enter or leave your dwelling place, be thankful you have a place to stay dry and warm out of the rain and cold.

When you gather around your Thanksgiving feast, be thankful for what you have, for who you have, for where you have it.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Psalm 95 (NKJV)

1 O come, let us sing unto the Lord: let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation.

2 Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto him with psalms.

3 For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods.

4 In his hand are the deep places of the earth: the strength of the hills is his also.

5 The sea is his, and he made it: and his hands formed the dry land.

6 O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the Lord our maker.

7 For he is our God; and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand. To day if ye will hear his voice,

8 Harden not your heart, as in the provocation, and as in the day of temptation in the wilderness:

9 When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my work.

10 Forty years long was I grieved with this generation, and said, It is a people that do err in their heart, and they have not known my ways:

11 Unto whom I sware in my wrath that they should not enter into my rest.

Grieving During the Holidays

Thanksgiving and Christmas are times for remembering.  Remembering good times.  Remembering family.  Remembering friends.  Remembering where we have come from.  Remembering how we got to where we are.  Some, however,  remember bad times, friends and relatives who have passed on, break ups, schisms between friends and family members.

It is difficult to go through these remembering holidays when those who are a big part of the traditions and memories of those holidays are, for whatever reason, not helping us celebrate.  Twenty-two years ago this month, November, my wife and I were looking forward to the birth of our first child.  We were looking forward to many years of making memories with this child.  About two weeks before Thanksgiving a beautiful baby girl arrived.  But God determined that her time on this earth would be short.  She passed on at the age of nine days.  For us, that year was the year without a Thanksgiving.  We still miss that little girl, but with each year that passes the hurt lessens.  We thank God for the time we had with her and that we have one good photo of her.

For us the ache was for the loss of a loved one, a child.  For others it is for lost parents, grandparents, siblings, or good friends.  Each person deals with that loss and the memories that follow in different ways.  I wrote a letter to my little one expressing the dreams I had for her that would never be realized.  Others may do charitable work or give to charities in their loved one’s name.  Others channel their grief into moments of creativity.

One such person is Erin Hoff of Danville, IL.  She was watching the snow fall and thinking about her dad who had passed away when the words of a song came to her.  The song, entitled “Does it Snow in Heaven”, ended up talking about the loss of her mom instead, but anyone who has lost a dear friend or loved one can relate to the song.

Erin is using this song to raise money for St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital (listen to a portion of the song using the link below).  If you would like a copy of Erin’s song donate at least $5.00 to St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital.  Then email Erin at mmmbopingmommy12@yahoo.com and let her know about your donation.  She will send you her song.

If you are going through the pain of loss this holiday season I am sorry, and I feel for you.  But remember this; while the pain does not ever go totally away, you will be happy again.  You will smile again.  Remember the good times spent with your loved one and cherish the memories you made together.

Have a happy Thanksgiving and a very merry Christmas!

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Does It Snow In Heaven (partial song)

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4 Holiday Diabetic Recipes

As the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays approach thoughts turn to the great foods to be served.  Some, however, dread this time because they have medical conditions that prevent them from enjoying the good, rich food.  Below we have 4 diabetic recipes: 2 beverage recipes, 1 dressing or stuffing recipe, and 1 cookie recipe.  The bonus is that the cookie recipe is the traditional rolled sugar cookie recipe.

Low-Calorie Eggnog

(Serves 8 – ½ cup per serving)

2 eggs, separated
4 cups skim milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 packets Equal sweetener
½ tsp brandy or rum flavoring
Ground nutmeg

Combine the egg yolks and milk in a saucepan.  Cook over medium heat until the mixture coats a metal spoon.  Cool.

Beat the egg whites until soft peaks form.  Add to the egg custard mixture with the vanilla, sweetener, and flavoring.  Mix lightly.  Cover and chill.  Pour into serving cups and sprinkle with nutmeg.

Hot Wassail

(Serves 18 – ½ cup per serving)

4 cups (1 quart) unsweetened apple juice
3 cups unsweetened pineapple juice
2 cups cranberry juice cocktail
¼ tsp ground nutmeg
1 cinnamon stick
3 whole cloves
lemon slices

Combine all the ingredients in a large kettle and simmer for 10 minutes.  Serve hot.

Apple and Prune Dressing

(Serves 16)

¼ cup vegetable oil
1 medium-size onion
2 celery stalks, cored and chopped
2 apples, chopped
16 prunes, snipped into pieces
1 cup water
10 slices fresh whole wheat bread cubes (6 cups)
1 tsp dried sage, crushed
¼ tsp ground cinnamon

Combine the oil, onion, celery, and apples in a large skillet.  Saute for about 10 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender.  Remove from the heat.  Add the remaining ingredients.  Toss gently to mix well.  Use to stuff a 12- to 18-pound turkey or spoon the stuffing mixture into an oiled 2-quart baking dish.  When baking the stuffing in a casserole, cover and bake in a 325-degree oven for about 1 hour.

Rolled Sugar Cookies

(Makes 72)

½ cup margarine
½ cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 egg
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder

Cream together the margarine, sugar, vanilla, and egg until light and fluffy.  Add the flour and baking powder.  Blend until well mixed.  Chill the dough for 2 hours or overnight.  Roll out on a lightly floured surface until 1/8 inch thick.  Cut with a cookie cutter.  Place on an ungreased baking sheet.  Bake in a 375-degree oven until lightly browned, about 10 minutes.  Cool before serving.

A Memorial Day “Merry Christmas” to our soldiers whereever you happen to be!

This weekend in the United States is Memorial Day weekend. Memorial Day is the day we remember those who fought and died protecting us and the freedoms we enjoy today. I think we should also remember the men and women who are currently serving in our armed forces. Many times these holidays, especially Thanksgiving and Christmas, are hard on our service people because they are away from home and may be feeling a little forgotten by those at home.

This website, www.history.army.mil/html/reference/holidays/index.html, shows pictures taken of our soldiers celebrating Christmas. These pictures span the time between World War I to the present. The Spirit of Christmas truly does show up at all times in all situations.

This year while you prepare your own Christmas celebrations please remember the soldiers away from home perhaps fighting to keep you free and send them a Christmas package. Here are a couple websites that can help you do so.

www.operationwearehere.com/AdoptMilitaryFamily.html
www.militaryfamily.org/feature-articles/holiday-financial-help-for.html

Celebrating your birthday on Christmas day

Have you ever wished your birthday was Christmas day? I must admit I never have. Wedding anniversary maybe, but not birthday. I imagine some people love it. Others detest it. Some years my daughter’s birthday coincides with Thanksgiving Day. We tell her everyone in the United States are celebrating her birthday with parades, special meals, and lots of fun. She doesn’t agree and asks that we celebrate her birthday on another day during Thanksgiving week.

Here is a short list of people who were born on Christmas day:

1564 – Johannes Buxtorf (the Elder), German Protestant scholar
1642 – Sir Isaac Newton, English scientist, discovered the law of universal gravitation
1717 – Pope Pius VI, pope 1775-1799
1721 – William Collins, English poet
1763 – Claude Chappe, French engineer, developed the first semaphore
1821 – Clara Barton, U. S. humanitarian, founder of the American Red Cross
1878 – Louis Chevrolet, Swiss-American race car driver and automobile magnate
1887 – Conrad Hilton, U. S. hotelier, founder of Hilton Hotels Corporation
1889 – Lila Acheson Wallace, U. S. publisher, founded Reader’s Digest with her husband Dewitt Wallace
1893 – Robert Leroy Ripley, U. S. cartoonist, best known for his syndicated feature Believe It or Not
1899 – Humphrey Bogart, U. S. actor
1918 – Anwar Sadat, Egyptian leader, known for his peace efforts with Israel
1924 – Rod Sterling, U. S. TV personality, writer and host of The Twilight Zone