Thanksgiving season accomplishes, at least to some extent, one of the purposes for which it was intended. Thanksgiving Day was designed to call our attention to the many blessings God has so richly bestowed upon all us.

While considering these many blessings and giving due thanks to God, our very first thought of Thanksgiving goes back to our childhood and the many family gathering we had at Thanksgiving. In those days, we had a large family, twenty to thirty family members were always there and we always gathered at Grandpa and Grandma’s house.

We can still see the huge table just running over with food. Our family  was  not wealthy by any standard, no fancy chandeliers over the table, just a wire hanging from the ceiling with a bulb and a pull chain. No fancy bathrooms, in fact our tub was just that, a large galvanized washing tub in the middle of the floor. We had windows that actually opened and screen doors that made that loud noise when they slammed shut.

But, we were wealthy in family standards. Thanksgiving was a great time of getting together and we can still remember how enjoyable it was to sit and listen to the family as they would tell stories and tell of days gone-by. We simply loved the swapping of stories by my Grandfather and my favorite uncle, the two real tale tellers, pitching horseshoes and playing croquet.

The turkey did not need thawing, it just needed catching; the butter did not need to be opened, it just needed to be churned, a job that for several years we received.

The desserts, real pumpkin pies,  jam cake with carmel icing and homemade ice cream. Our uncle was the ice cream maker, and we could never crank the ice cream churn at a speed to please him, but it was fantastic.

How lucky we were to have had such a family. How lucky we were to have had those days of enjoyment. How lucky we were to live in a free country.

Did we say lucky?

We were not lucky, we were blessed. Blessed to have such a family and blessed to be in a  free county and blessed to have had those years to remember.

During this Thanksgiving season let us count our many blessings. If we rightly give praise and thanksgiving to our sovereign God, it will make a positive difference  throughout the entire year.

This year our nation embarks on a suddenly different holiday season filled with a mixture of sadness and joy, despair and hope and courage and fear.

Many of us are facing tough times this year, jobs, economy, wars, many things to consider. But even with these, we can still find many ways to count our blessings. We must all reflect upon our shared experiences over the past few months, and give thanks. Thanks for each other; for the love that shines through the grief and for each moment of sharing those precious blessings.

May Gob bless you and your family.