Mike’s Musings ….
Memories of Thanksgiving
From the time I was old enough to help, Dad, my brother, and I would use Thanksgiving Day through that Saturday to cut firewood. We went into the country where farmer friends had plenty of dead trees or treetops left from logging their farms. We used Thanksgiving Day from early in the morning through late afternoon to cut the wood and then returned through the next two days to load it out in his small trailer, unload and rick it when we got home, return to the woods for more, and repeat the process until the job was complete. This wasn’t the only time of year we stocked up on firewood, but it was always the first of the season. When my brother and I got older and married, while we would occasionally labor for our parents’ firewood, it was much easier to just buy a load occasionally!
For those years when Thanksgiving Day was laborious, coming home that afternoon was always enjoyable. We’d get cleaned up, rest for a bit, and then Mom would say, “It’s ready.” That dining room table couldn’t hold all the food! Mom always served from the kitchen and was invariably the last to get to sit and eat! We keep the “must haves” on the table: turkey, mashed and sweet potatoes, and gravy, and the conversation rambled on and on with some of the funniest stories and lovingly teasing each other you’d ever hear! We even reloaded each other’s plates just to see them eat more than the others. We always had Grandmother with us, and often Dad’s brother and his family. No one ever went hungry, seconds, thirds and fourths were always encouraged, and the house was filled with love!
But more than everything else, I remember the prayers of thanksgiving. Early on, Dad worded those prayers as if to teach us all how to pray. After I obeyed the gospel, it became my honor, and that honor continued long after Dad passed. Now, I retain that honor with our family members. Have I taught my children and grandchildren how to pray? Have I expressed genuine gratitude so they and more importantly God knows I am sincere with the words of thanksgiving? Just three days following this grand day is the Lord’s Day. I muse how thankful we REMAIN by that time. Surely, it is impossible to be “overly thankful” to the One from Whom all blessings flow! Perhaps we should all muse less on the memories for which we’re grateful, and more on the blessings we receive daily, by which we are enabled to live, love, honor, and serve our God. Be thankful! Be very thankful!