1
I’m sure the lovely Madelyn Simone will have something profound to say about Thanksgiving before the month is complete, but for now I’m borrowing my opening thought from a fellow grandmother. Here’s what three-year-old Anthony told my friend Corey: “Ma, do you want to know what I'm Thanksgiving for? I'm Thanksgiving for my homes and dog, Gracie.”
You’ve got it right, Anthony. As Thanksgiving approaches, I am “thanks-giving” too, because as William Arthur Ward reminds us, “Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it.’ Here is what’s on my list this year.
I’m thankful for the Ashland Public Library because they host a fabulous used book sale a few times a year; allowing me to stock up on enough books to carry me through until their next sale. I’m also grateful they’ve started sending out notices by e-mail before my books are due, potentially saving me from my own forgetfulness. What an awesome place.
I’m thankful for the Ashland Times-Gazette. Not only does it print seven hundred words from an opinionated woman each Saturday, but it continues to connect us as a community. My hometown newspaper is shutting down the presses and shuttering its doors in January, and my non-internet savvy mother is already feeling its loss. Yes, I know that “the times, they are a-changing,” but a newspaper is so much more than the pages on which it is printed.
I’m thankful for the voices of heritage and history that keep knocking on my door. Those voices whisper wisely to me through the pages of both historical fiction and biography, and from the photo albums and living history of family and friends. The Ashland County Historical Society carefully preserves our shared heritage, and will welcome guests into its home for a Holiday Open House on December 7 and a Candlelight Christmas Open House tonight – maybe I’ll see you there after the parade.
Sticking with the heritage theme, I’m grateful for the Massillon Museum, another keeper of the legacy, as it helped me tell the story of Eliza Duncan, whose husband founded Massillon. Salvation Army archives are playing a similar role as I am imagining the voice of Eliza Armstrong, a young girl whose staged procurement in 19th century London made life safer for generations of young women. I’m definitely grateful that the memories of the past are held securely by faithful guardians so we can create a healthier tomorrow for our descendants.
Here are a few more. I’m thankful I live in Ohio instead of Buffalo this week. However, I was tempted to join the crew shoveling out the Bills’ stadium, as the promised compensation included a free ticket to Sunday’s football game – still on my bucket list. I’m glad Harry London’s Chocolates in North Canton gives out free samples on its free tour. I’m also grateful I made it to the A & W before it closed for the winter, and that I won a Jake’s Steakhouse gift card this week. Small graces of life, I know, but reasons for gratitude just the same.
I’ve seen more than enough through the years to be truly grateful for a roof over my head, a comfortable bed with clean sheets, and tasty food to nourish my body. I am thankful for the richness of family and friends, and for the joy of my precious relationship with the lovely Madelyn Simone, even though she ate cherry-red lip balm and fed grapes to the dogs on my watch this week. I’m grateful for the gift of faith that saves my soul and makes me whole, as well as for honest work that continues to place me where my deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet (Frederick Buechner’s understanding of vocation). Yes, I am a blessed woman.
By now, you may be pondering what you’re “Thanksgiving” for today. As you make your list, I hope that Khalil Gibran’s words will encourage your gratitude as they do mine: “You pray in your distress and in your need; would that you might pray also in the fullness of your joy and in the days of abundance.” Amen.
I’m sure the lovely Madelyn Simone will have something profound to say about Thanksgiving before the month is complete, but for now I’m borrowing my opening thought from a fellow grandmother. Here’s what three-year-old Anthony told my friend Corey: “Ma, do you want to know what I'm Thanksgiving for? I'm Thanksgiving for my homes and dog, Gracie.”
You’ve got it right, Anthony. As Thanksgiving approaches, I am “thanks-giving” too, because as William Arthur Ward reminds us, “Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it.’ Here is what’s on my list this year.
I’m thankful for the Ashland Public Library because they host a fabulous used book sale a few times a year; allowing me to stock up on enough books to carry me through until their next sale. I’m also grateful they’ve started sending out notices by e-mail before my books are due, potentially saving me from my own forgetfulness. What an awesome place.
I’m thankful for the Ashland Times-Gazette. Not only does it print seven hundred words from an opinionated woman each Saturday, but it continues to connect us as a community. My hometown newspaper is shutting down the presses and shuttering its doors in January, and my non-internet savvy mother is already feeling its loss. Yes, I know that “the times, they are a-changing,” but a newspaper is so much more than the pages on which it is printed.
I’m thankful for the voices of heritage and history that keep knocking on my door. Those voices whisper wisely to me through the pages of both historical fiction and biography, and from the photo albums and living history of family and friends. The Ashland County Historical Society carefully preserves our shared heritage, and will welcome guests into its home for a Holiday Open House on December 7 and a Candlelight Christmas Open House tonight – maybe I’ll see you there after the parade.
Sticking with the heritage theme, I’m grateful for the Massillon Museum, another keeper of the legacy, as it helped me tell the story of Eliza Duncan, whose husband founded Massillon. Salvation Army archives are playing a similar role as I am imagining the voice of Eliza Armstrong, a young girl whose staged procurement in 19th century London made life safer for generations of young women. I’m definitely grateful that the memories of the past are held securely by faithful guardians so we can create a healthier tomorrow for our descendants.
Here are a few more. I’m thankful I live in Ohio instead of Buffalo this week. However, I was tempted to join the crew shoveling out the Bills’ stadium, as the promised compensation included a free ticket to Sunday’s football game – still on my bucket list. I’m glad Harry London’s Chocolates in North Canton gives out free samples on its free tour. I’m also grateful I made it to the A & W before it closed for the winter, and that I won a Jake’s Steakhouse gift card this week. Small graces of life, I know, but reasons for gratitude just the same.
I’ve seen more than enough through the years to be truly grateful for a roof over my head, a comfortable bed with clean sheets, and tasty food to nourish my body. I am thankful for the richness of family and friends, and for the joy of my precious relationship with the lovely Madelyn Simone, even though she ate cherry-red lip balm and fed grapes to the dogs on my watch this week. I’m grateful for the gift of faith that saves my soul and makes me whole, as well as for honest work that continues to place me where my deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet (Frederick Buechner’s understanding of vocation). Yes, I am a blessed woman.
By now, you may be pondering what you’re “Thanksgiving” for today. As you make your list, I hope that Khalil Gibran’s words will encourage your gratitude as they do mine: “You pray in your distress and in your need; would that you might pray also in the fullness of your joy and in the days of abundance.” Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment