A Message from Hazel Gayski

This is the season of the final fading leaf, occasional warm days and cold nights and often the first lazy snow flakes, and of course Thanksgiving. Where did the summer go?  Well into eternity, for a little rest and then to return next year.  Each holiday has a special spiritual meaning.  Thanksgiving of course is the holiday set aside for the giving of thanks.

The first Thanksgiving was observed at Plymouth in 1621.  It was a day set aside by special proclamation to give thanks to God for bringing the band of pilgrims safely over the sea, for preserving them through the year and for blessing them with a beautiful harvest plentiful enough to see them through the coming winter.  The pilgrims were expressing gratitude for the fact that they had survived and were asking for help for the uncertain prospect of survival under these very bad times.  The spirit that inspired this giving of thanks for being alive was deep and sincere, and the prayers that rose were coming from truly grateful hearts.

Over three hundred years have passed since that day and the world has changed beyond recognition.  No longer do we feel called upon to give thanks for being alive and having food to eat.  Survival is regarded without the immediate threat of starvation or death,  we have rather lost the habit of gratitude.

Every one of us has a personal and private list of things for which to be thankful, little things perhaps but never the less important.  They are woven into the fabric of daily living, sustaining and comforting us.  We have so much as individuals and as a nation for which to be thankful.  Have you ever thought of giving thanks for yeaterday? Not only for the day just passed but for all of our yesterdays.  They hold all of our experiences and memories, however sweet they may be. We have a personal freedom of thought that is unknown in many parts of the world.  We are more fortunate than we realize that we can go where we feel like going. We have no fear as man once had of epidemics.  We must be thankful for hard work that brings order out of chaos, cleanliness and the satisfaction of doing thing for others, and for the strength and ability to to it.

Time passes so quickly.  Centuries turn into centuries, years into years, month after month and finally day after day turning into yesterday.  Problem after problem come up world wide that is hard to understand.  Changes are confusing and hard to understand.  Years go swiftly by just as they come to us.  We should be thankful for all the helpful Americans who have been there to help others, leaving their loving families and giving their lives.

With the passing of time every thing has moved so swiftly, much more quickly than in years before.  Let us also remember  of the place called home.  It need not be a grand house but as long as there is a place about which we feel upon returning "this is where I belong."  We read what we want to read and listen to all kinds of sounds. The rain on the roof, the song of the birds, the feel of the wind on a breezy beautiful sunny day.  The scent of a rose and the taste of a crisp juicy apple. 

So on this coming Thansgiving holiday as the long quiet winter moves in, let us count our blessings and truly and humbly give thanks. 

Prayer

Heavenly Father. We thank thee for over looking our lack of gratitude. Forgive us for taking these gifts for granted or assuming we have earned them.  Help us to be grateful for what we received and the opportunity to share. This we ask in Thy Name. Amen.