by Sharon O | Nov 25, 2015 | Uncategorized
On the eve of Thanksgiving day, I asked my husband to help me think of other words of Thanksgiving.
Another one that we came up with is so ‘simple’ yet so important and valuable.
The word or words that we thought about and discussed is: Relationships and family.
Dictionary.com says:
Relationship is – association involving emotional connection between people.
Family is – any group of persons closely related by blood, a group belonging, whether dwelling together or not.
When we think of thanksgiving, we immediately think of spending time with those we love.
Oh sometimes we might volunteer in a community setting, and serve others who we do not know.
But for the purpose of this writing, relationships in the form of family is what holidays are all about.
It would not be the same, if we had no one to enjoy the holiday with.
Relationship is a part of ‘who’ we are as people. Who God made us to be.
We love and care for our friends and loved ones. We wish for them health and peace deep in their spirits.
Family is often times who we spend holidays with, but even more than that, it is about who means the most to us.
Sometimes holidays can bring unhealthy relationships.
These are the worst calls for fire or policemen. Family issues escalating because of the holiday.
It is not always that serious, that one would need to call them, but I do know
we all have had that experience, where we had to show up when we really didn’t want to.
Unfortunately that does happen, but most of the time the holiday season is spent with those we love and care for.
Those we choose to spend time and make special moments and memories with.
Even Jesus showed us the importance of family and friends.
As he ministered to others, he wanted to get away with those he truly cared for and loved.
On this eve of Thanksgiving, let us think on and pray for our relationships and family.
The other words of the season.
by Sharon O | Nov 24, 2015 | Uncategorized
As I have tried to focus on the words of Thanksgiving, I have come up with a few that are most meaningful.
The first one I wrote about was gratitude, adding in thanksgiving and being grateful.
The second word I am focusing on today is tradition.
Dictionary.com says: it is the handing down of statements, beliefs, legends, customs, from generation to generation, especially by word of mouth or practice.
It is also a long established inherited way of thinking, a continuing pattern of culture belief or practices.
When I think of our homes of origin, my husbands family had very different traditions then my side of the family.
We could not and never would have Thanksgiving without my grand mother’s traditional menu.
That was a tradition….a knowing, a familiar experience, even long after she passed away.
Now I am not just speaking of the food that would be on the table, but even more when I was growing up, our tradition was the Macy’s Thanksgiving day parade.
I remember to this day of getting ready, all day long it seemed, doing our hair, getting dressed up, making ourselves presentable.
I remember those prickly black metal rollers in my hair with a plastic stick holding it in, till my hair dried in hopes of making it curly.
I remember we always dressed up. It was not ever a casual day, no it was special, you were expected to look nice.
That is a part of tradition that I am talking about.
My husbands side, of his family often ate in a much more casual setting.
In our house, it was a time of pretty and nice and festive and formal.
I believe every one has traditions they remember around the Thanksgiving holiday.
For some maybe there was nothing to expect. Nothing repeated. Just a dinner.
In my home of origin. We knew we would always have Turkey, potatoes, gravy (oh so good), dressing and green beans always with bacon, rolls covered in butter, relish dishes of pickles and olives, carrot slices and celery, oh and never forget the pumpkin pie with whipping cream, as you sat next to grandpa’s warm fire in the fireplace.
Traditions are good.
I love the memory of our grandpa and grandma’s traditions.
It really is a very important part of the day we call Thanksgiving.
by Sharon O | Nov 23, 2015 | Uncategorized
Today is the beginning of Thanksgiving week. Many will be taking vacations to go visit family.
Others will be shopping and preparing for the festive feast.
Some will be working single or double shifts. Holidays are hard in some professions.
There are some words I would like to challenge us with, words that give meaning to the day and season.
As we move forward into the fast chore list of what needs to be done.
Today’s word is going to be gratitude.
Dictionary.com says Gratitude is the quality of feeling of being grateful or thankful.
When we look up the words we learn of these meanings:
Grateful is warm or deeply appreciative of kindness or benefits received.
Thankful is pleasing, agreeable, welcome or refreshing, feeling or expressing gratitude.
Do you see where I am going with this?
Thanksgiving… giving thanks with a grateful heart.
It is a time of reflections, observations, remembering and expressing.
Giving thanks for all we have now, for love of family and friends.
Giving thanks that we live where we can worship without fear, sing songs without worry, and choose our acts of freedom every day.
Many cannot do this without great concern for safety and peace.
On this day of Thanksgiving, I pray we not only give thanks for our peaceful lives, but to say a prayer and
send a thought, or perhaps even tell someone, how grateful you feel to know them and have them close to your heart and life.
It is a time of giving thought for how much we are given.
Romans 12:3 [a book of The New Testament] The Message (MSG)
3 I’m speaking to you out of deep gratitude for all that God has given me, and especially as I have responsibilities in relation to you.
Living then, as every one of you does, in pure grace, it’s important that you not misinterpret yourselves as people who are bringing this goodness to God.
No, God brings it all to you.
The only accurate way to understand ourselves is by what God is and by what he does for us, not by what we are and what we do for him.
by Sharon O | Nov 20, 2015 | Uncategorized
I love to participate in the Friday’s word prompt, as it challenges me to think on a word, and the many directions one can go with it.
Today’s word prompt is: Dwell
I have read some who chose to write about the homes we live in as we dwell together. Yeah that is a great choice.
The word has three parts to it: dwell, dwells, and dwelling.
The Bible mentions them 179 times which is pretty significant.
The idea or concept from the dictionary is to live, stay or reside or to ponder upon a thought.
One of my favorite verses in the Old Testament of the bible is in Isaiah 32:18.
The message version is: My people will live in a peaceful neighborhood – in safe houses – in quiet gardens.
The revised standard version: My people will live in peaceful dwelling places, in secure houses, in undisturbed places of rest.
Both of those verses are full of calming promises.
In Psalm 4:8 it says: In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, Lord, make me dwell in safety.
Don’t we all want to claim that verse? No fear, no restlessness? no danger.
There is so much chaos these days for many, how we stay strong and with hope?
Another verse I like is Psalm 27:4:
One thing I ask of the Lord, this only do I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the Lord and seek him in his temple.
It is all we can do in this crazy unsettled world. Ask for safety, and peace and pray for those who are on the journey of finding that too.
In Psalm 91:1 it says: Whoever dwells in the shelter of the most high will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
I think we all need and want to find the ‘rest’ that is promised to us.
by Sharon O | Nov 17, 2015 | Uncategorized
Soon we will be entering into the time of Thanksgiving.
It really should be a life time of giving thanks, but we have a ‘calendar day’ we set aside for a big meal.
A warm inviting day full of family, friends and perhaps a fire in the fireplace, with the smell of turkey and baked pies cooking in the oven.
I remember the days of younger years, when we would go to my grandma’s house. She made everything.
The meal was carefully chosen and always the same.
Never changing the menu of the day which was turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes, green beans and bacon, gravy. Oh and always the relish plates full of a variety of pickles and olives and carrot sticks. Grandma took great pride in making the meal and she did it up into her early 70’s all by herself.
I loved those times, when I could see the chandelier’s light reflect multiple prisms of beautiful colors, on the white ceiling in the dining room.
We didn’t always have warm fuzzy moments as a family, but it was a tradition I do remember.
The table was beautiful with china settings and crystal glasses, candles flickering, and often a beautiful bouquet of fall flowers as a center piece.
I learned the value of a beautiful table. Then as I became older and wiser I also learned the value of conversation and tradition.
We make the fancy dinner always on Thanksgiving.
Last year there were only three of us and it was still a festive time of sharing life together.
Thanksgiving is a time to pause… to think and to remember.
Giving thanks with a grateful heart, to the God who allows us to remain here one more season.
Life is challenging for sure. I am thinking of a family who will have this holiday without their loved ones.
Tragic circumstances took them away and it is a difficult journey to enter into the ‘holidays’ remembering.
Thanksgiving is a time of slowing down, sipping the coffee a bit slower, eating the pie and enjoying it.
Sharing conversation and prayers, enjoying the quiet time spent together.
It is a time to remember what we are giving thanks for and why we need to slow down.
In life we all need a time to pause. A time to think. A time to remember.
Traditions are good and wonderful, but let’s try to do something this year a little different.
Let’s try to take note of ‘what we are giving thanks for,’ and remember all that we have been given.
1 Chronicles 29:13(NIV)
Now, our God, we give you thanks, and praise your glorious name.
Psalm 7:17(NIV) I will give thanks to the Lord because of his righteousness;
I will sing the praises of the name of the Lord Most High.
Psalm 69:30(NIV) I will praise God’s name in song and glorify him with thanksgiving.
Without God, our lives would be without purpose and without hope.
In this season for giving thanks and remembering, let us give thanks for his glorious love and provision for our lives. Let us begin to give thanks with a grateful heart, for we have many things to be grateful for.
