Thanksgiving 2012

Through these doors we are celebrating Thanksgiving with the Waggoner clan.  We have much to be thankful for this year, not the least of which is celebrating together with family.  It struck me this morning that this may be our last Thanksgiving in the States for a while!  

Thanksgiving has long been a special holiday, but made even more so six years ago when we landed in Albania on Thanksgiving Day 2006 to meet our Els.  The holiday and that event will forever be intertwined for us!  

I regret that this holiday is quickly getting passed over with sights set on the commercialism of Christmas.  I love my Christmas lights as much as anyone, but before Thanksgiving?  And starting Black Friday on Thanksgiving Day? Really???  I will never forget a lesson I learned when we were leading English camp in Ch*na 11 years ago.  We were teaching American holidays to a group of middle and high school students and on the day when we discussed Thanksgiving, we asked them to go around and share something for which they were thankful.  We received a bunch of blank stares in reply (from a normally talkative group).  After much thought, a few said they were thankful to their parents for giving them life.  Afterwards we concluded that without faith in God, Creator and giver of all, gratitude is not natural.  It requires acknowledgment of One outside yourself.

In closing, I'll share a familiar hymn sung in church on Sunday (a favorite of my middle sister, Bug, a mother to two 20th generation Mayflower descendants!), including a few verses which may be knew to you:

 For the beauty of the earth, 
 for the glory of the skies, 
 for the love which from our birth 
 over and around us lies; 
 Lord of all, to thee we raise 
 this our hymn of grateful praise.

 For the beauty of each hour 
 of the day and of the night, 
 hill and vale, and tree and flower, 
 sun and moon, and stars of light; 
 Lord of all, to thee we raise 
 this our hymn of grateful praise.

 For the joy of human love, 
 brother, sister, parent, child, 
 friends on earth and friends above, 
 for all gentle thoughts and mild; 
 Lord of all, to thee we raise 
 this our hymn of grateful praise.

 For thy church, that evermore 
 lifteth holy hands above, 
 offering up on every shore 
 her pure sacrifice of love; 
 Lord of all, to thee we raise 
 this our hymn of grateful praise.

 For thyself, best Gift Divine, 
 to the world so freely given, 
 for that great, great love of thine, 
 peace on earth, and joy in heaven:  
 Lord of all, to thee we raise 
 this our hymn of grateful praise.

Text: Folliot S. Pierpoint
Music: Conrad Kocher; Arr. by W.H. Monk 



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