pilgrims

Fill my bucket!  I recently had the opportunity to have breakfast with a friend.  We both agreed that we fill each other’s bucket.  Wow!  PilgrimJake says--When folks are thankful, they fill their own bucket and the buckets of others. 

This guy was sorta kinda a pilgrim of ALS (i.e. they named the disease
after him).  One of the greatest speeches in sports history was given seventy-five years ago. It was short -- 277 words, spoken by a shy man whose head was bowed in modesty. He held his baseball cap in one hand and wiped tears with the other. Those in the stands knew Lou Gehrig was ill, but didn't know the nature of his disease. He didn't tell them. He simply began: "Fans, for the past two weeks you have been reading about a bad break I got. Yet today I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the earth." For the next few minutes, he told the crowd how thankful he was for his life, his wife, his parents, his teammates, even his mother-in-law. The simplicity of his words earned him the title, "The Luckiest Man."  “So I close in saying that I may have had a tough break, but I have an awful lot to live for.”  ~ Lou Gehrig 

When I think of Thanksgiving, one image I think of is of the Pilgrims eating turkey and pumpkin pie.  And giving and showing thanks.  The pilgrims were just lettin’ ‘im know they were thankful! Soooo who are they thanking anyway? What are they thankful for?  If folks don’t thank God, whom do they thank?  And how can anyone not be thankful.  Oh I guess you can thank your boss if you have one, your spouse if you have one, your parents, the government, Obama, your teachers, your dog, your neighbor, your lover, your friend, etc.  I guess you could do that.  Sooooo this Thanksgiving, what are you thankful for and who are you giving thanks tooooo?  I ain’t no pilgrim sooooo don’t try to fool me folks!  SmartyPantsTilie says—Maybe you aren’t a pilgrim erv, but maybe you're more like a turkey!  Ouchy ouchy! AverateJoe says--Thanksgiving is all about the bird! 

GeorgeTheCrook would just as soon punch ya in the nose as tell you the time of day.  He can be that way at times.  Even at Thanksgiving.  GeorgeTheCrook ain’t no pilgrim folks.  He’s been around the block a lot of times and is as crusty as a week old slice of toast!  GeorgeTheCrook is sorta kinda set in his ways.  Like he says--"I am not wearing a diaper, so don't try to change me". Suppose you were exactly the same now as you were ten years ago? No, not physically but mentally? Suppose you had not grown? Good change is good. When we cease to change we stagnate. When we fail to realize that we all need change, we become self-righteous and blind to our own errant ways. LuckieEddie says—If you are not a thankful person, consider changing (i.e. even if you don’t wear diapers).  You will be way happier.  Yes you will.  Such is life.

Heather was telling us that our little grand boy, Jimmer, is getting reaty to be potty trained.  She asked him he thought it was about time for him to give up his diapers.  LittleJimmer said--I love my diapers!  But Heather said--He goes in the closet to poop!  He's figuring it out.  LittleJimmer, I go into the closet tooooo to poop but it's the water closet.  

Some seem to treat me like a spare tire.  Some folks and organizations don’t say thank you for your gifts.  They don’t seem thankful.  Maybe they are but just don’t say thank you.  Ya wonder if they just expect it.  It does make a person wonder if you want to give to them again.  Many times we say, no, I don’t think sooooo.  Showing thankfulness is important I think.  Recently we got a thank you from good old Northwestern College (i.e. one of our Alma Maters) thanking us for our support.  It was very well done (i.e. my opinion).  Part of it said—Thank you for your…it makes a huge difference…we are grateful! “We are grateful” was personally underlined.  On the bottom of the letter was a small hand written note.  I don’t think this letter was manipulative but a sincere thank you (i.e. but they know what they are doing).  But, it makes us want to give again next year.   Then we get a hand written note form a student thanking us. Pretty neat we thing. My opinion.  SusieQ says—erv, you are soooo easily taken advantage of soooooo…you are way easy!  Joesixpack says—Money raising is interesting.  That is why there are professional money raisers.  Don’t kid yourself, they know what they are doing.  They ain’t no pilgrims folks.

Thank you erv!  It was crazy.  Just crazy.  This happened probably 20 years ago at a Walk to Emmaus weekend.  I was a table leader at a men’s weekend.  After one of the discussions, a big burly senior guy, JohnFromSE-IA (i.e. a pilgrim) at our table came up to me and gave me a hug and said thank you erv—what’s this all about I asked.  He said he was taught never to cry and never has.  I cried during our discussion.  Wow!  And, he said, I have never hugged another guy before either.  Wow!  JohnFromSE-IA (i.e. anybody can be a John) said, both felt sooooo good!  Wow!

Talking about hugging.  At church recently, I had two gals come up to me and hug me (i.e. spontatiously—they weren’t told to do soooo and it wasn’t part of the program).  I have to admit, it felt very good.  They didn’t really say anything but just hugged me.  It was a great expression to me.  As Hans and Frans say--It sorta kinda pumpedmeup!  I was told second hand (i.e. but I think it is right) that a gal who has some family problems said—I would rather have folks just give me a hug instead ask about the situation.  Sooooo there you go.  Think about that folks! 

Thank God I ain’t like them!  Arlene and I were having breakfast at one of local restaurants when a long time friend, walked by.  She didn’t acknowledge us when she walked right by us.  When she left, she again turned her head and walked right by us.  What! She seemed to ignore us.  Snubbed us! What!  Our first thought was that we decided that she maybe thinks – she has arrived  and is now part of the elite huddle and is toooo good for us (i.e. a different class).  Could be.  Or maybe there was another reason.  Could be—We hope soooo! We think sooo after giving it some thought. It's easy to say "Thank God we aren’t like her".  A Pharisee once prayed—God thank you that I am not like that other guy!  But the other guy stood at distance and prayed—God have mercy on me for screwing up.  Soooooo God have mercy on me for even thinking that bad thought about our friend! Thank you for understanding my evil thoughts.  I would guess I have given others that same feeling (i.e. that is bush league folks) .  Ouchy ouchy!  In the Book it says in red (i.e. soooo it must be very important_--For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.  Do you believe that?  Or is that just said to make the folks who think they are not of the elite group feel better (i.e. blowing smoke)?

Flipthepancake!  I didn't have the opportunity to see a long time family friend much this summer (i.e. many good reasons).  He called this week and wanted to go out for breakfast before we left.  Bingo!

Always the same but maybe not!  ItchieBitchie says—I think I’m always thankful but probably am not (i.e. become ho hum).  Some days I’m probably more thankful than others, but I feel like my approach is always the same.  I have read that humble and thankful folks are neat folks.  From my life’s experiences, I agree with that statement.  What do you think? 

A smart man said to me recently--When we were kids all we had to play with were cardboard boxes, and we were thankful.  Always the same but maybe not.  Everything is relevant isn't it.  Huh, interesting.

DopeyDope says—If you are not thankful you have a problem.  It’s like seeing the light and flying right by it.  You ever do that?  Like miss the boat!  Fall asleep at the wheel!  Forget what’s important!  Get your priorities all screwed up! 

He ain’t no pilgrim!  Al re-stretched part of our carpet in the hall of our house recently.  Al is a great fisherman and just got back from a trip to the Rainy River at Baudette, MN.  Fishing wasn’t very good.  One of the reasons was that there was winds were from the NW at 30 mph.  He said—After winds from the NW, fishing isn’t good for 2 to 2.5 days.  I have been going to the same place since 1980 and it’s always that way.  Ya might just as well go home.  It’s very predictable!  Bingo! Some things are very predictable.  Oh ya!  Such is life.

Idea! A Giving Thanks Idea!  We often neglect to thank those closest to us. We take them for granted. Take time right now to call, text, email, or write to tell someone how much you thank God for them. A gesture of gratitude might be unexpected, but it will never be unappreciated. Be a pilgrim! 

Another idea.   An idea as to how to be thankful is to look for an opportunity today to serve someone in your life.  Serve them as Christ would serve—sacrificially and unconditionally.  Ya can’t be DuaneTheWorm (i.e. he only cares about himself).  It just doesn’t work.  Such is life.

Aristotle made the following observation about friendship: "My best friend is the man who in wishing me well wishes it for my sake." MissPerfect says--Do you have a friendship that needs tending? Mulch it with thanksgiving.

Tough Pilgrims! Pilgrims must have been a tough bunch of folks or crazy or something.  That adventure was not for the shy.  They had to be some real horses. Some real stray cats. They had to be a lot tougher than old erv let me tell ya! There are a lot of tough folks (i.e. and some not soooo tough) who are going through some tough times.  How can we make their life a little better?  Have any ideas? Or is it easier to just be a DuaneTheWorm and just care about ourselves (i.e. pretend those folks don't exist).  Could be! I am not a tough guy even though I might look tough (i.e. semantics)! Arlene and I had breakfast the other morning and a gal who we taught with 40 years ago came and talked to us. She said--I see you have facial hair for NoveberTheFacialHairMonth.  I didn't know that.  Went to get me new glasses and the pretty, young gal says--I like those round lenses; they are really in now.  I didn't now that.  I'm not tough and don't know much.  I'm a real pilgrim all right! Such is life.

On the road.  We will be in CO eating turkey and pumpkin pie celebrating Thanksgiving with James, Heather, Erin and Jimmer! From there we will head on to AZ for the winter.  Family and friends always make us thankful.  We have really been blessed folks.  Unbelievable!  Thank you God.

Have a FUN day my friends unless you have other plans. (-:

Novem--brrrr-erv

MyFriendJean says--Call someone who will be glad to hear your voice.