November/ Thanksgiving

I've researched and found most country, religion, and culture has a time to express gratefulness.

We have one day to recognize in our land as a day of thanks. Some folks use this time to thank the Sovereign Lord for his blessings. They gather around a table with family and friends, pray a prayer of thanksgiving, and then feast on their favorite foods. 

Other people do not recognize any blessings or give thanks to God but do enjoy time with family and friends and favorite meals.

Last year, I blogged about the Puritans, the Native Americans, the food they ate, how it was prepared, and even the quaint way the pilgrims spoke.

Today, some people are having difficulty finding things to be thankful for. Innocent lives lost in wars, freedom and democracy put into jeopardy, refugees without homes, food, and other things we take for granted, and the homeless, the abused, cancer, other life-threatening illnesses, and grief over loved ones lost to accidents, diseases or violence, and mental illness inundate the news.

                                          SO,

my blog will remind us of our blessings if we take the time to shut out the negative and think of the positives around us. 

Let's start with 

                Blessings of Friends 

                                          The Gift of Friendship by Helen Steiner Rice

  Friendship is a priceless Gift.

That cannot be brought or sold,

But its value is far greater

than a mountain made of gold-

For gold is cold and lifeless,

it can neither see nor hear,

And in the time of trouble

it is powerless to cheer-

It has no ears to listen,

no heart to understand,

It cannot bring you comfort

or reach out a helping hand-

So when you ask God for a Gift,

be thankful if He sends

Not diamonds, pearls or riches,

but the love of real true friends.

                                                                   Blessings of a New Day

                                      A Daily Miracle

The supply of time is a daily miracle. You wake up in the morning, and lo! Your purse is magnificently filled with twenty-four hours of the remanufactured tissue of the universe of life. It is yours! The most precious of your possessions. 

By Arnold Bennett

                                         At Dawning

I hear a lark at dawning:

The day in music starts,

While roses fair are blossoming

In the gardens of our hearts.

There's magic in its music,

A thrill in every note...

I hear a lark at dawning

And love flows from its throat.

                            And

There are so many problems in our lives and in the world that we have little control over. Sad, helpless feelings overwhelm us at times. However, there is the blessing of people who care. People who help with humanitarian relief, help refugees, look for abusive situations for people and animals and rescue them, scientists working on cures, and neighbors helping neighbors. These people are a blessing to us as well as they do what we cannot.  Maybe all we can do is give a little of the financial resources we have been blessed with to help others continue their missions of love. We have been blessed with more than we need, a blessing from our Sovereign Lord.

                                   Smiles

We can all smile, whether we can give financially or volunteer to help. It is a blessing for me to see smiles at others. In offering a smile, I feel God is using me as a blessing to others.

True story. I didn't have enough money for lunch when I was going to college, but I had just enough for bus fare. The first day I got on the bus, the driver didn't look at me or say anything. His behavior was the same with others getting on his bus. The only time he said anything was to say, "Move back. Go back in the bus." His voice sounded cross.

The next day, when I got on, I made it a point to smile and say, "Good morning." No response from him. When I left the bus, I said, "Thank you."

I kept this up, and in a couple weeks, he started to look at me, and when I smiled and said, "Good Morning." He mumbled, "Morning."

I always smiled and said, "Thank you," when I got off. There were times when I stepped off the bus,  I smiled and said, "Thank you." and added, "That was a very smooth ride."

In a few weeks, he greeted me with a smile and said, "Good morning," or some other greeting, and he didn't do it with just me. He had smiles for all who entered, and he would say, "Please step back to the rear of the bus. Please step back."

Sometimes, when a woman with a baby stroller tried to get on, he would go down the steps and help her. When she said, Thank you." He would respond politely. Smiles worked. 

I'll share some lines from a poem on smiles. The author is unknown.

Your beautiful smile makes one's life more beautiful.

Your beautiful smile is a precious ornament God has given you.

Your smile is a ray of sunshine that brightens the day for those who see it.  

                               And 

Those of us who have pets, from fish, rabbits, gerbils, hamsters, cats, dogs, birds. or any other creatures are blessed. We are needed to give a good life to our dependent little ones.

Illian was born in Korea and was headed to a dog meat slaughterhouse when he was rescued by the International Humane Society and sent to the U.S. He was adopted and later broke his leg, which did not heal correctly. His family moved and could not take him with them, so they sent him back to the Golden Valley, Mn. Humane Society, where they had to amputate his right front leg. I asked God to help me find a dog to adopt, and Illian was the one. He is a wonderful friend and a great companion, and I am blessed to have him. And I think I am God's blessing to him.

Dogs, Cats, and other Animals want loving homes. They are a blessing to us, and we are a blessing to them. 

There are many more things we can be thankful for; we just need to stop, shut out the negatives, and concentrate on the blessings.  

Whether you believe in God or not, you can be thankful. I believe in God, and all I have and experienced is from God, and I thank Him big time for His blessings.

                      God Bless You All on Thanksgiving and Every Day.