Turkey With a Slice of Thanks

Thanksgiving 8000 Calorie Poem

May your stuffing be tasty,
May your turkey plump,
May your potatoes and gravy
Have nary a lump.
May your yams be delicious
And your pies take the prize,
And may your Thanksgiving dinner
Stay off your thighs!
- Anonymous

 

Remember those turkey pictures we made as kids. You would put your hand down on a piece of paper and draw around each finger. The thumb was the turkey head. I loved Thanksgiving as a kid and still do. It was the only day all year that we would have  such a feast with turkey and all of the fixins. We always ate so simply and never had dessert with meals. I would so look forward to the pumpkin pie, and If I was really lucky I would get the drumstick. It was a prize in family with so many children. The day that I graduated to the grown up table was pretty exciting. In such a large family it took many years to get to the grown up table. It was really a matter of my older siblings getting married and then spending the holiday with their in-laws. 

What does the Thanksgiving Day holiday mean to you? Apparently to many retailers it means the beginning of the Christmas shopping season. To some it means a chance to eat an incredible meal and then watch football. To me it means the one day each year that we gather together with loved ones to celebrate all of the blessings in life. It’s a time to be joyful and share the love that we have with family and friends. I also love the eating part too!  

I am so thankful for so much this year. I am so blessed to have a wonderful husband and beautiful amazing children. I am so thankful for all of my family and friends. They have all been so loving and supportive of me as I have battled leukemia this year. The Lord has blessed me with faith and joy each day. He has blessed me with healing and a chance to know Him better. This Thanksgiving Day I will gather with loved ones and have a deeper love and appreciation for all of God’s blessings. I pray that I will never take my blessings for granted and that I will love and serve the Lord as He wills me to.  I pray that you and your loved ones have a Thanksgiving Day filled with joy, love, and lots of great food!

Favorite Thanksgiving Quotes

       Thanksgiving, after all, is a word of action. W.J. Cameron

       What we do for ourselves dies with us. What we do for others and the world remains and is immortal. Albert Pine.

       We tend to forget that happiness doesn't come as a result of getting something we don't have, but rather of recognizing and appreciating what we do have. Frederick Keonig.

       If you want to turn your life around, try thankfulness. It will change your life mightily. Gerald Good.

       What a wonderful life I've had. I only wish I'd realized it sooner. Colette

       Do not wait for the day of judgement, it takes place every day. Albert Camus

       Thanksgiving Day comes, by statute, once a year; to the honest man it comes as frequently as the heart of gratitude will allow. Edward Sandford Martin

       If the only prayer you said in your whole life was, "thank you," that would suffice. Meister Eckhart

Suffering

“If you learn from your own suffering, and really come to understand the lesson you were taught, you might be able to help someone else who’s now in the phase you may have just completed. Maybe that’s what it’s all about after all…..”  -Unknown

Suffering will enter into each of our lives. There is no way to get out of this life without suffering or watching someone you love suffer. There is great grace to be gained through suffering. That’s hard to swallow for some but I know it true from the experiences it in my own life with leukemia. I learned so much about grace and faith watching my parents suffer at the end of their lives, and now am watching my brother go through a very difficult time battling esophageal cancer. He too is teaching me how faith can help to overcome fear and give you courage to face such a horrible disease.

 While at Presbyterian Saint Luke's for my transplant last March, I was next to a 21 year old young man, Tyler; he that is still at PSL. He and his loved ones have gone through incredibly difficult times. He is an amazing and strong  young man. At the beginning of his illness he was 200 pounds and is now 128 pounds. He is still suffering through so much each day. Yet he and his family are so courageous and have such strength and faith! They have shown me how much we can get through with faith, hope, and love.

I remember when I was younger I never gave a thought about how difficult life could be. As I have aged it has become such a normal part of life. At one time it would have frightened me but it doesn’t anymore. The challenge is to accept and grow spiritually from life’s experiences and to help others while they are going through difficulties. The irony is you don’t often realize how blessed you are until you go through adversity. Suddenly or hopefully you realize that your time on earth is very short and stop wasting it. God has a plan for us that includes serving him and not our own selfish wants. The things that used to make you happy, the very temporal unimportant things that you thought were so important, really aren’t.

I was thinking of how Lance Armstrong came back from one of the worst cases of cancer, and went on to win the Tour De France. I don’t care what he did that might have enhanced his performance; he survived the most brutal of cancer treatments, and came back from the brink of death. That aside, I wonder if you asked him today what is really important to him, would it be all of those victories he achieved?

So often people think wealth, their appearance, fitness, or temporary achievements are the most important things in their lives. I feel sorry for them because those things are so insignificant. I hope that we will strive to serve the Lord, helping our brothers and sisters, and helping to bring souls to our Lord. Don’t wait until you face death to see what’s important.

There is not a day that goes by that I don’t reflect on the sufferings of our Lord Jesus Christ. I draw great strength and love knowing that he endured that suffering for me. I know that he will get me and you through anything we face.  I know that I have received so much love, guidance, and help from so many. I only hope that I can give it back to others.

When you are facing difficulties, reflect on the story of Job in the Old Testament of the Bible. Satan destroyed his life; took everything away from him, and caused him great physical suffering. In Job 22,  his response was “Naked I came forth from my mother’s womb and naked shall I go back there. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord!” In all this Job did not sin, nor did he charge God with wrong.

Please continue to pray for all those that are suffering especially my brother Jimmy and Tyler.