It's a doozy of an idea! More and more retail companies are going to be open on Thanksgiving day (i.e. and some very early). How come--It's all about the money folks. They are trumping Thanksgiving Day. It's like spreading gravy on the potatoes! They all want more of the $602,000,000 that is being expected spent on Christmas. They think they want to get their share!
Extremists! Extremists are doozys folks. My mentor and I agreed that Thanksgiving seems sometimes more fun than Christmas. Christmas has too much baggage connected tooooo the real thread. It takes us out of our routine (i.e. tooo much disruption that disturbs us). It is overwhelming for many folks that produces anxiety, tempers flare ups etc (i.e. moderation Murphy moderation). Then you add alcohol, parties, gifts, traveling, money concerns and you really have a mess (i.e. moderation Murphy moderation). Then the husband makes some wise remark and his wife goes off the cliff ~ Police are called to an apartment and find a woman holding a bloody 3-iron standing over a lifeless man. The detective asks, "Ma'am, is that your husband?" "Yes" says the woman. "Did you hit him with that golf club?" "Yes, yes, I did." The woman begins to sob, drops the club, and puts her hands on her face. "How many times did you hit him?" "I don't know -- put me down for a five."
A thankful heart! I was working in the yard recently and wore my "yellow farm gloves" as I call them. My Daddy, Chester, always wore them on the farm. Good memories. Growing up on a farm a mile and fourth south of Roseland, MN, I grew accustomed to seasons and the routine of different farm jobs done during certain times of the year. Two of my Daddy's, Chester's, favorite times of the year were the planing season in the spring and the harvest in the fall. Planting is a time of hope and harvest is a time of celebration and thankfulness. Chester and Anna were just common folks who lived very modest and humble lives, worked hard, but had good hearts and were thankful. My Mom, Anna, would help my Daddy with the harvest. I remember him giving my mom some jewelery one time and said "thank you for helping me with the harvest". I still remember that. It was a necklace. That was at least 45 years ago. Huh, interesting. 
I was just sitting in our sun porch the other day watching the leaves blowing across the lawn. It became another of life's little things that I was thankful for. We have so many things that we take for granted. I have sooooo many things that have just fell in my lap. My cup runnth over! Does that Cubby bobble head look familiar to anyone. It was a gift to me from a friend many years ago. Do you remember? I do!LuckieEddie says--Thou who hast given so much to me, give one more thing: a grateful heart. A friend called me the other night. She said, erv are you looking at the sunset. I said I was. It was just beautiful. We both really like sunsets. We think that it's a form of adoration and thankfulness. What do you think?
It's a doozy alright, the choice we make in our minds a.k.a. attitude. "Gratitude as a discipline involves a conscious choice....It is amazing how many occasions present themselves in which I can choose gratitude instead of a complaint." ~ Henry Nouwen ~ DuaneTheWorm (i.e. a real doozy) would not understand that statement I would guess. He's one crafty, manipulative guy a.k.a. a self-centered, a cleaver schemer! Well, ok, he might be grateful that he's soooo goooood (i.e. at least he thinks he is). Huh, interesting.
This is a doozzzzy of a story folks. These parents are friends of friends who told me the story. These folks have three children. One son is a qb at a college, another son is the starting qb on a D1 school, and their daughter is a volleyball star and track start at a D3 school. That's not the story! The story is--When their daughter was in high school she told her parents about this girl who lived in a car (i.e. homeless). Her mom was a druggie. They pursued it and took her in. Then another boy needed a home 'cause he was being abused by his "whacked out on drugs" mom. Soooo they took him in tooooo. The girl played bb at a D1 school and the boy is a D1 football player. That's not all the story. The boy had a younger brother (i.e. high school age now) who was severely abused by his drug additive mother. Recently he defended himself with a bat but caused no physical damage on his mom. His mom had him arrested and jailed. When they went to court, these parents showed up and told the judge the story. They left with custody of him toooo! These folks enabled both of these kids to get "full ride scholarships" and are working on the third. There are soooome gooood folks out there. Maybe these kids lives might have beeeen way different without these folks. Sooooooo I would guess those children have a lot to be thankful for. Soooooo have you thanked your parents for what they have done for you? Do you think these kids caught a break?
Not a good season to be a turkey. Here is an interesting Turkey story--I really had a laugh. I watched very little of the Turkish Airlines Open (i.e. professional golf tournament) a couple of weeks ago. You know how everyone has to be quit when those guys hit or it might screw up their head which could screw up their shot. Well, the few minutes I watched, there was a loud speaker whaling an Islamic chant (i.e. 99% of Turkey is Islamic). The players didn't complain nor did the announcers say anything. In America when one spectator says anything, the players get all over them. Maybe those players are just a bunch of turkeys! Huh, interesting.Their kids and grand kids maybe might think they're turkeys (i.e. big dooozzzzys). Arlene and I had the opportunity to have breakfast with a couple of senior grandmas from our church recently (i.e. it was a hoot). These gals are very good hearted, real gals; my kind of folks. ANYWAY they were telling us that at Thanksgiving, they are going to tell their kids and grand kids that they have to silence their cell phones and put 'em in their pockets or give them toooooo them. There will be no use of cell phones during our family get-to-gather. They need to talk with me! I asked them if they will do that. They didn't know. I said you could threaten them with no Christmas cash! One more thing I learned from these senior grandmas--What they would like more than anything else from their grand kids and kids is--a call or a visit. That is what they would like the most. Just a call or a visit. Huh, interesting. They said they don't need anything and have plenty of junk!!!!
Being grateful! We all (i.e. hopefully) have our "pet" places that we like to give (i.e. our $$$$, our time and our talents). We give many of our special $$$$ gifts at this time of the year. It just seems right to us. ANYWAY we got a letter from most of them thanking us for our support. One letter said this--Thank you for believing in us...thank you! We are grateful! They personalized it with a short hand written note on the bottom and underlining some of it. I think that is class. We have a tendency to like to give to them more. If folks don't show their appreciation, we wonder if they really care. Are they just using us for $$$$$! A piece of wisdom I have learned from some smart folks--One of the best forms of advertising is a sincere, "Looking 'em right in the eye--Thank you for your business"!Thanksgiving is a fun time to reminisce with family and friends of days gone by. It's a good time to be grateful for family and friends. Arlene got this fun email from friendJudy of days gone by. -- Arlene, you are still my favorite golf partner. Never laughed so hard in my life as when we golfed at Parkersburg one year and you told me it was about my turn to contribute! (I think you were joking but I'm not for sure!) You said, "I think you need to just put it in the hole right now!" So I blasted a shot from about 100 yards out and into the hole it went! We both were shocked and the two older ladies we were golfing with were stunned as well. They asked you, "does she always do what you tell her?" And you said "pretty much"! Those were the good ole days for sure.
Winston Churchill said, "The glory of light cannot exist without shadows." Ok folks, it's not always easy to be thankful when we are sad. It's hard. God has a plan and His will will be done but I wonder if He knows what He is doing sometimes. Maybe I'm tooooo tender for others and their situations. Maybe. Could be. But, His understating I cannot fathom. But He's always there. Always! ItchieBitchie says--Everyone has misery in their life; maybe it's just our turn now! Christine Sutton in her book Stop and Smell the Garbage: A Caregiver's Story of Survival says--If you are in the dark, if you're at the bottom, please believe that hope will dawn again. And remember folks--There is no medicine like hope, no incentive sooo great, no tonic sooo powerful as the expectation of something better tomorrow. God is our Hope.Give without remembering and receive without forgetting. Enjoy your Thanksgiving day folks.
Have a FUN day my friends unless you have other plans. (-:
erv
MyFriendJean says--The secret of happiness is freedom. The secret of freedom is courage.
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