Wayne Weekly “November Gratitude”
Written by Teddy on November 22, 2016
November is one of my favorite months. There is just something about the cold crisp mornings, and often the sunny blue skies that produce a gradual warmth during the day. November is kind of a stand- alone month. The leaves largely are off the trees in later November. The ones not raked up have a chance to dry out and crunch under your feet. And then there is Thanksgiving. What a great holiday!
Thanksgiving requires some grocery shopping and cooking for many, but not a whole lot more than that. Yes, there is the all-important table settings and the great opportunity to bring the family together over the greatest meal on planet earth. Church services ring with “We Gather Together” and “Come, Ye Thankful People Come”, to name a few along with “pie and praise” fellowship times. The Thanksgiving holiday meshes together with November and it’s a special and wonderful time for most.
As in all holiday seasons, loneliness and sadness rears its ugly head. Many are left alone with past Thanksgiving memories. Those reflections may contain wonderful moments spent with family, but in the here and now, those thoughts don’t necessarily cancel out being alone, those cherished memories often contribute to being lonely.
What can we do to reach out to those who may have a treasury of past Thanksgivings in their memories? Those things can range from a simple phone call, a home visit bearing a simple gift, delivering food baskets for a local mission, an invitation to dinner to a single of any age. What about someone at college who won’t be able to go home for the holiday or volunteering at a community outreach? It may just mean spending time with your immediate loved ones that perhaps have been on the back burner due to the business of life, or, to our shame, a self-centered existence.
Regardless, Thanksgiving is a special gift to us as citizens of this country. It reflects our early nation’s history, but towering above all of that is a time when we can corporately express our thankfulness to our benevolent God.
“Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving…” Psalm 95:2
Want to volunteer at a local mission? Visit www.marshillnetwork.org/holidaymissions/
(this blog was written before the the lake effect storm that turned our Thanksgiving into a Christmas wanna-be)
