Thanks a Lot!

Bob asks an important question in the post below concerning thankfulness and the truth is, we all have much to be thankful for. Soooooo . . . . where do I start?

My mom has been through and difficult year and more and we are thankful that this Thanksgiving, Thelma (that's the title the two parents gave her) is much stronger, alert and active than she was early last spring. (Did you notice I strung 10 words in a row that begin with 'T'? Just checking.)

We have two great kids and this summer added a son-in-law to the mix. We thank God for them all.

I'm more in love with my bride than ever before and it's glorious!

We go to a church where the pastor preaches the Sovereign God of Heaven, the beauty of His Word and the grace He imparts to His people.

Some of the folks from our church went with our family to distribute Thanksgiving meals to convenience store clerks who had to work on Thanksgiving. The stores are located near our church and I can say the employees were happy to get the food, but I am thankful for the happiness in my heart as a result of being a part of that effort.

We had international students in our house Friday night before Thanksgiving and it causes me to be thankful for my homeland. I don't say this with any sort of arrogance, for those students in our house all missed their homes and didn't find that America held any place for them above their native land. I think we all were perfectly happy with and thankful for our homes.

More could be said, but I think the point is made, we are blessed people.

Oh, and Iced Mochas. I am thankful for Iced Mochas.

The day after Thanksgiving

I know there's not all That many of you reading my blog...yet...but I know there are a few of you out there, and I have the obvious question for you. So, how was your Thanksgiving?

Did everything go according to plan?

Let's hear your stories! More to the point, what are you thankful for?

Nature's Parking Ticket

Back on November 3rd, I walked out to my car to find this one maple leaf, which had landed right where you see it. Too good to resist, so I went back inside to grab my camera.

The Legend of Hanksgiving

Hank, a well reguarded man in three counties, was known for his kindness, friendship and generosity. Every fall, he would have a combined Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner, on the second weekend in December. That way, he could invite more relatives and friends, and they could all attend (not having other important events that weekend).

Hank and his wife would prepare a great feast; it was a joyful celebration. Hank would have small, nice gifts wrapped and ready for his guests, nice gifts, but not too expensive. He was a bit eccentric though, and he had his own traditional ritual after the guests were done with dessert.

He would approach a guest, give him or her the gift, then from behind his back quickly bring up a short piece of bamboo and "Thap" (his word) the guest up side the head. Never hard enough to cause a bruise, just enough to startle them and get their attention.

Thus, the now famous phrase "Thappy Hanksgiving".

(c) 2002, Robert K. "Bob" Wingate.

Wait, did I mention the fireworks?