RAMBLIN ‘N’ RUMBLIN III
Author: Wayne Brady
Back in October, Connie and I “rambled” up to Hiawassee, Georgia, to visit some friends who have a Bed-and-Breakfast called Swan Lake. It is a beautiful house located in the side of the mountain overlooking a lake and the mountainous hills beyond the lake. Seeing the leaves of autumn was one objective to choosing this time of year. The leaves there were about a week or so off from their most beautiful colors, however, we drove on to a higher elevation and the colors changed into a gorgeous hue of reds, yellow and almost a smorgasbord of rainbow hues. I thought of how the most beautiful scenes on earth are not man made, but those put into view and orchestrated by the one who designed the whole planet and surrounded it with the rest of the universe. Thinking about this made me especially thankful to God for the years He has granted me to live my life in such pomp and splendor as is provided by nature.
And now, as an octogenarian, thankfulness, for anything, comes a lot easier.
As we enter this Thanksgiving season, there is so much to be thankful for. It’s a time for gathering. We gather together to enjoy a meal, to connect with loved ones and celebrate the good things in our lives. We gather together to ask the Lord’s blessings and in this changing stressful world, we need such blessings more than ever. But in spite of any hardships we might be facing during thanksgiving, we find that we have much to be thankful for; that our blessings outnumber our difficulties and perhaps that the greatest gift we can offer is to live in thanksgiving daily, to acknowledge heaven’s hand in all things and always , always, to count our blessings. It’s appropriate then to know that Thanksgiving Day, as an official U. S. holiday, has its roots a period of American history when it may have been difficult to find a reason to be thankful. It was during the dark days of The Civil War when Abraham Lincoln called for a day in November of thanksgiving and praise. He proclaimed, “The year that is drawing to a close has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and helpful skies. To these bounties which are so constantly enjoyed, we are prone to forget the source from which they come. Others have been added which are of such extraordinary nature that they cannot fail to penetrate and soften the heart that is insensible to the ever watching providence of Almighty God."
Let’s set aside our expectations for the season and reflect on the facts that we are alive, well, not going hungry, nice homes…really we are not needful in the sense that we have to worry about being taken care of. It’s easy to get upset when our expectations are not met, expecting people to behave in a certain manner, government not operating the way we feel it should, even ourselves not operating the way we feel we should. But let’s not let our expectations lead us to disappointment. Let’s trade expectations for appreciation by appreciating the freedom we have to live our lives on our terms, freedom of worship, the people around us, appreciating the moment, and the lovely world we live in. Let’s trade whining, complaining, blaming, being fearful, worry, anxiety for an appreciation for life by expressing gratitude to God for these gifts and many not mentioned. Let’s focus on the things we can control and not obsess over the things we can’t control; focus on the things we can do, be generous, playful, warm, sincere, loving, which will lead to a beautiful state of mind. Let’s all determine we won’t lose our happiness over the “stuff” that may come along causing distractions. So as we celebrate this Thanksgiving season with our loved ones, be sure to let all know how much you love them and take time to express verbally, to God and family the things that you are thankful for from this past year. As Christians, the following prayer would seem feasible and in order:
OH GOD, WHEN I HAVE FOOD,
HELP ME TO REMEMBER THE HUNGRY;
WHEN I HAVE WORK,
HELP ME TO REMEMBER THE JOBLESS;
WHEN I HAVE A HOME,
HELP ME TO REMEMBER THOSE WHO HAVE NO HOME;
WHEN I AM WITHOUT PAIN,
HELP ME TO REMEMBER THOSE WHO SUFFER,
AND REMEMBERING,
HELP ME TO DESTROY MY COMPLACENCY;
BESTIR MY COMPASSION,
AND BE CONCERNED ENOUGH TO HELP;
BY WORD AND DEED,
THOSE WHO CRY OUT FOR WHAT WE TAKE FOR GRANTED.
AMEN
HAPPY THANKSGIVING
JWB
Author: Wayne Brady
Back in October, Connie and I “rambled” up to Hiawassee, Georgia, to visit some friends who have a Bed-and-Breakfast called Swan Lake. It is a beautiful house located in the side of the mountain overlooking a lake and the mountainous hills beyond the lake. Seeing the leaves of autumn was one objective to choosing this time of year. The leaves there were about a week or so off from their most beautiful colors, however, we drove on to a higher elevation and the colors changed into a gorgeous hue of reds, yellow and almost a smorgasbord of rainbow hues. I thought of how the most beautiful scenes on earth are not man made, but those put into view and orchestrated by the one who designed the whole planet and surrounded it with the rest of the universe. Thinking about this made me especially thankful to God for the years He has granted me to live my life in such pomp and splendor as is provided by nature.
And now, as an octogenarian, thankfulness, for anything, comes a lot easier.
As we enter this Thanksgiving season, there is so much to be thankful for. It’s a time for gathering. We gather together to enjoy a meal, to connect with loved ones and celebrate the good things in our lives. We gather together to ask the Lord’s blessings and in this changing stressful world, we need such blessings more than ever. But in spite of any hardships we might be facing during thanksgiving, we find that we have much to be thankful for; that our blessings outnumber our difficulties and perhaps that the greatest gift we can offer is to live in thanksgiving daily, to acknowledge heaven’s hand in all things and always , always, to count our blessings. It’s appropriate then to know that Thanksgiving Day, as an official U. S. holiday, has its roots a period of American history when it may have been difficult to find a reason to be thankful. It was during the dark days of The Civil War when Abraham Lincoln called for a day in November of thanksgiving and praise. He proclaimed, “The year that is drawing to a close has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and helpful skies. To these bounties which are so constantly enjoyed, we are prone to forget the source from which they come. Others have been added which are of such extraordinary nature that they cannot fail to penetrate and soften the heart that is insensible to the ever watching providence of Almighty God."
Let’s set aside our expectations for the season and reflect on the facts that we are alive, well, not going hungry, nice homes…really we are not needful in the sense that we have to worry about being taken care of. It’s easy to get upset when our expectations are not met, expecting people to behave in a certain manner, government not operating the way we feel it should, even ourselves not operating the way we feel we should. But let’s not let our expectations lead us to disappointment. Let’s trade expectations for appreciation by appreciating the freedom we have to live our lives on our terms, freedom of worship, the people around us, appreciating the moment, and the lovely world we live in. Let’s trade whining, complaining, blaming, being fearful, worry, anxiety for an appreciation for life by expressing gratitude to God for these gifts and many not mentioned. Let’s focus on the things we can control and not obsess over the things we can’t control; focus on the things we can do, be generous, playful, warm, sincere, loving, which will lead to a beautiful state of mind. Let’s all determine we won’t lose our happiness over the “stuff” that may come along causing distractions. So as we celebrate this Thanksgiving season with our loved ones, be sure to let all know how much you love them and take time to express verbally, to God and family the things that you are thankful for from this past year. As Christians, the following prayer would seem feasible and in order:
OH GOD, WHEN I HAVE FOOD,
HELP ME TO REMEMBER THE HUNGRY;
WHEN I HAVE WORK,
HELP ME TO REMEMBER THE JOBLESS;
WHEN I HAVE A HOME,
HELP ME TO REMEMBER THOSE WHO HAVE NO HOME;
WHEN I AM WITHOUT PAIN,
HELP ME TO REMEMBER THOSE WHO SUFFER,
AND REMEMBERING,
HELP ME TO DESTROY MY COMPLACENCY;
BESTIR MY COMPASSION,
AND BE CONCERNED ENOUGH TO HELP;
BY WORD AND DEED,
THOSE WHO CRY OUT FOR WHAT WE TAKE FOR GRANTED.
AMEN
HAPPY THANKSGIVING
JWB