Thanksgiving 2009
By: Betty Collins Brown
November 25, 2009
Traditionally, the busiest holiday travel of the year, the day before Thanksgiving, and I, too, plan to travel to my home town – Pound, Virginia – later today; but as for this moment, I sit in my favorite chair, the place where I meet with God on a daily basis to meditate, give thanks, and make petitions for needs of family and friends, and for our world as a whole. How much better the days go when I draw near to Him, communicate with Him and listen to His still small voice as He guides my path and comforts me with his promise that He will never leave me nor forsake me, even unto the end of the age.
As the day breaks and natural light filters into the room, I draw back the curtains to take in the beauty of what I see outside my window – majestic mountains above and a green valley below.
I thank God for a good night’s sleep and for good health to get out of bed this morning, then I thank him for my son, Tom, who lives nearby. I see him leave for work and I thank God he has work to go to and the ability to feed and clothe his family of four. As he leaves, he stops by the barn to feed the animals. In the past, this has been my job when my husband, Conard, is away from home hunting, but Tom has graciously volunteered so that I won’t have to get out and wade thru the muddy mess around the barn – the result of many recent rains. I thank God for Tom.
And then I give thanks for the rain that resulted in a muddy mess around the barn because that same rain has also left fields of green pasture where the cattle can still graze on fresh grass instead of dry hay! I’m sure the cattle thank Him, also!
Thankfulness, gratitude – I let those feelings seep into my being as I count my many blessings this Thanksgiving Eve 2009. My family here in North Carolina; my family in Virginia and beyond and my many friends near and far – for all of these I give thanks. There was a time I could never have imagined the material blessing that I take for granted now. But this morning I ponder these things in my heart and give thanks for it all. Above all of these I’m thankful for the presence of God in my life; for the comfort, for the strength and for the desire he has planted in my heart to serve Him.
Now I look forward to the sounds of chatter and laughter in my Mom’s kitchen tomorrow as we gather for Thanksgiving. Although she is gone and is feasting continuously on God’s manna, we’ll miss her and we will remind each other by word, by smile, or by mannerism of the part she played and still plays in each of our lives.
By: Betty Collins Brown
November 25, 2009
Traditionally, the busiest holiday travel of the year, the day before Thanksgiving, and I, too, plan to travel to my home town – Pound, Virginia – later today; but as for this moment, I sit in my favorite chair, the place where I meet with God on a daily basis to meditate, give thanks, and make petitions for needs of family and friends, and for our world as a whole. How much better the days go when I draw near to Him, communicate with Him and listen to His still small voice as He guides my path and comforts me with his promise that He will never leave me nor forsake me, even unto the end of the age.
As the day breaks and natural light filters into the room, I draw back the curtains to take in the beauty of what I see outside my window – majestic mountains above and a green valley below.
I thank God for a good night’s sleep and for good health to get out of bed this morning, then I thank him for my son, Tom, who lives nearby. I see him leave for work and I thank God he has work to go to and the ability to feed and clothe his family of four. As he leaves, he stops by the barn to feed the animals. In the past, this has been my job when my husband, Conard, is away from home hunting, but Tom has graciously volunteered so that I won’t have to get out and wade thru the muddy mess around the barn – the result of many recent rains. I thank God for Tom.
And then I give thanks for the rain that resulted in a muddy mess around the barn because that same rain has also left fields of green pasture where the cattle can still graze on fresh grass instead of dry hay! I’m sure the cattle thank Him, also!
Thankfulness, gratitude – I let those feelings seep into my being as I count my many blessings this Thanksgiving Eve 2009. My family here in North Carolina; my family in Virginia and beyond and my many friends near and far – for all of these I give thanks. There was a time I could never have imagined the material blessing that I take for granted now. But this morning I ponder these things in my heart and give thanks for it all. Above all of these I’m thankful for the presence of God in my life; for the comfort, for the strength and for the desire he has planted in my heart to serve Him.
Now I look forward to the sounds of chatter and laughter in my Mom’s kitchen tomorrow as we gather for Thanksgiving. Although she is gone and is feasting continuously on God’s manna, we’ll miss her and we will remind each other by word, by smile, or by mannerism of the part she played and still plays in each of our lives.
