I’ve had sixty-six Thanksgivings in my lifetime those are all Thanksgivings in the past. I can’t say I remember the first few but as I grew, I remember my mother and my grandmother, in a little country kitchen, cooking. There was a turkey or a ham, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, corn on the cob, fresh green beans, cornbread ‘dressing,’ granny would sometimes put oysters in her dressing it was delicious. Giblet gravy and lots of pies. Pumpkin pie, pecan pie, chocolate pie, orange pie. We loved her pies. She always made a pan of homemade biscuits and sweet iced tea and coffee. Oh, the memories. Granny had seven children and they all had children and so there was lots of family around. Some years there were more family than other times because they couldn’t all make it home. But as time passed family moved away and started their own family gatherings.
When I was about ten, we moved to the suburbs in Tampa, FL. Thanksgiving was still full of great food and family and friends. As the years went by, loved ones passed away and times changed, but those Thanksgiving Day’s past stay with me.
Thanksgiving present brings me to our current time. I’m reminded to be thankful for all that God has brought us through. We are blessed with new faces as new babies and new relatives and new friends gather in our lives. My mom used to say, “Make new friends but keep the old, some are silver and some are gold!” A saying she picked up along her journey through life. It’s true though and it holds to this day.
I’m thankful for my four sons and their families. For my grandbabies and extended family. God has blessed us beyond measure.
I’m thankful for Bob it took 40 years to find my life’s partner, we’ve been married eight years and thank God, he was granted a new heart just nineteen days ago, we didn’t know for certain that he would be here this Thanksgiving. I had faith that he would be that’s all any of us can have. Each and every day is a gift and a blessing from the Lord. I do not take that for granted.
Remember, you are making memories for Thanksgiving Future for many generations, make them count!
God bless you on this Thanksgiving Present, unwrap it with love, peace and joy to all who gather around your table!
From our home to yours,
Bob and Marla O’Neill November 23, 2021
1 THESSALONIANS 5:16-18 Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
