[Faith-talk] Daily Thought for Thursday, November 14, 2013

[Paul]

Yes, folks, here in the U.S. it's two weeks before we celebrate our national Thanksgiving Day, whereas you in Canada had yours the second Monday of October.  As mentioned in yesterday's Daily Thought message toward the end, the next two weeks' messages will be on this theme.  So let's get started.

Who among my readers doesn't like to have two for the price of one? I know that I do, and it is with this in mind that I present to you two short poems today.  The first one is entitled "Our Thanksgiving" by Marian L. Moore and is rendered as follows:

When the golden leaves of autumn
Lie rejected on the ground
And the heavy hand of winter
Closes in all around;
When the flowers of the summer
Have all vanished with the frost
And the harvest of the season
Has been gathered against loss;
As the geese wing slowly southward
Where the warmer regions lie
And the year is swiftly ebbing
With the moments as they fly;
Then the autumn brings Thanksgiving
To our God for all His love.
For His care and many blessings,
We shall lift our eyes above.
As the hymns of praise and thank you
Fall upon each listening ear,
Let us offer true thanksgiving
To our God all through the year!

When I first read that poem, I thought of a special person who enjoys Nature in all its fullness, and now I have found her.  I'll call her "Nature Girl," because she likes nature.  And, better yet, she is among those receiving this message on my IDL (individual distribution list).

The second poem is by May Allread Baker and is simply entitled "Thanksgiving," rendered as follows:

Now when the sky is gray and overcast
And wild geese call with their loud, haunting cry,
When all the harvest is gathered in at last
And signs portend the coming winter nigh,
We thank Thee, Lord, for this, Your gift of grain
Drawn from the storehouse of the good, dark soil,
Fruits of the summer sun and summer rain,
Well-earned reward of healthy, honest toil.

For this, our land of freedom, long ago
Our brave forefathers left their native sod.
And when the crops were gathered and the snow
Of winter fell, they gave their thanks to God.
And so, down through the years, shall we again
For this rich heritage give thanks.  Amen!

And there you have it, two for the price of one.  When I see her in an audio Internet chatroom, I'll greet this lady whom I call "Nature Girl" with that greeting, so that some of you will know whom I mean and so will she.  I hope you enjoyed these two poems, even though in your part of the world it isn't exactly Thanksgiving Day nationally.

And now may the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob just keep us safe, individually and collectively, in these last days in which we live.  Lord willing tomorrow will present another aspect of our nation's thanksgiving.  Your Christian friend and brother, Paul