Janet's Blog

I'm thankful for God's love that never ends. I'm thankful for family, I'm thankful for friends, And for all the blessings God gives every day. But these days, people like to downplay The role God plays on Thanksgiving Day. We’re thankful for turkeys and pumpkin pie, For football games and stuff to buy On Black Friday. But 'though we’re thankful, who do we thank? The stores, each other, ourselves, the bank? It's great to be glad for the things we've got, But I'll admit that I'm feeling rather distraught At the very thought  That God himself has no part to play In current traditions of Thanksgiving Day. We watch Macy's parade and football matches, Gather with family and friends in large batches; We eat and we drink until everyone's merry. (Or some families fight; that gets mighty scary.) God's name isn't mentioned in many a place. Have we forgotten who made the whole human race? Will we think of the One Who loves us the most? Will we th...

As we were gathered together today with family and extended family, enjoying a few appetizers as we waited for our magnificent Thanksgiving feast to begin, my son, Levi, decided to compose a brief Thanksgiving poem. He did some quick research on his cellphone, and wrote the poem in orange pen, in his usual hard-to-read handwriting, onto the "I'm thankful for..." banner that our hostess, Libby, had prepared for the kids to write on. Levi has a natural affinity for poetry, as well as a genuine love of history, so today's poem seemed to be easy for him to write. Anyway, it didn't take him more than a few minutes. I have become used to deciphering his handwriting, which usually includes very little spacing between words. (That's why much of his written work is completed on his laptop.) So today, with Levi's permission, and in the interest of readability, I have transcribed and slightly edited his poem for you here: 401 years ago was a meal that 3 days lasted. ...

My four local grandkids ate lunch with me on Tuesday, as they usually do while their mother, Meagan, is working at the church. After I put all the fixings for tacos on the table, I encouraged everyone to wash their hands before sitting down at the table. Since Levi didn't have school this week, he joined us for lunch, too. When I asked for a volunteer to say the prayer, two-year-old Ari waved both hands in the air while grinning from ear to ear, and shouting, "Me!" As everyone else bowed their heads, Ari folded his hands, bowed his own head, squeezed his eyes shut, and said these words, very clearly: "Thank you for this food. Amen." Then he opened his eyes and beamed at everyone gathered around the table. This Thanksgiving is going to be very hard for many people. We are missing loved ones who usually join us for dinner. Some of us are sick with Covid, or still recovering, or concerned about friends and loved ones who are sick or even in the hospital. Some of us...