"Thankful"

They rolled in Wednesday morning,

And rolled out Sunday night,

Thanksgiving with the kinfolks,

Filled with love and light.

The laughter and the music,

The football and the food,

The hunting and the fireside,

The festive, joyful mood.

They sang me happy birthday,

It was Dad’s birthday, too,

Giant, frosted birthday cake,

Together candles blew.

And then to church on Sunday,

The hymns and sermon brought,

The prayers prayed at the altar,

All the Holy Spirit taught.

And then the hugs and kisses,

The tears and sweet good-byes,

The promise that they’d call us,

The memories and sighs.

When they came for Thanksgiving,

These are times I won’t forget,

Connecting with the kinfolks,

I’m thankful for them yet.

“Praise the Lord, O my soul; all my inmost being, praise His holy name. Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits…” (Psalm 103:1-2, NIV)

My memories are full of blessed moments. Among these, as the poem says, were family gatherings for Thanksgiving. Our Alabama home welcomed all our relatives from South Carolina as well as my grandparents who lived nearby. It was a full house, to say the least! Underneath all the fun and food was the awareness that every good blessing came from the Lord. We were thankful to Him for all we had, including one another. Praise the Lord, and forget not all His benefits.

Lord, help us recall our blessings and give You thanks, in Jesus’ name.

Art by Lloyd Voges, used by permission. Thanks, Lloyd, and God bless you.