[Faith-talk] Daily Thought for Monday, November 25, 2013

[Paul]

Hello and good day to all of you, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, children of our heavenly King-Father and saints of the Most High God.  Now I know that some may object to the term "boys and girls," but God says that is what we are.  After all, if we aren't, why did the apostle John in his letters call his original readers and listeners "my little children"? So it is with this in mind that I use the term "children" in my greeting, and not in any way to demean or put down anyone.

Anyway the title of this thanksgiving article is entitled "Thanksgiving Promise" by Pauline Stadler of Mount Morris, Michigan, and is rendered as follows:

Our family needed to come together more than ever that fall.  I decided to have Thanksgiving at my house.  I hadn't fixed a formal dinner in months, and I had a full set of white stoneware in my china cabinet just begging to be used:  plates, cups and saucers, creamer, sugar bowl, butter dish--the works.  A week in advance, I made out my grocery list, including ingredients for my special fruit punch.  It had been my granddaughter's favorite.

Amanda, 20 years old, had lost her life in a car accident in the spring.  She had visited with me the very evening before she died.  Amanda was in heaven, I had no doubt.  But would anything ever seem right in this world? Not without any more visits from Amanda.  The entire family was bereft.  She was my daughter's only child, and we were all very close.  I hoped our holiday together would be of some comfort.

I busied myself with shopping, then turned my attention to our Thanksgiving table.  I removed the dishes from the china cabinet--every last one--and ran them through the dishwasher. It took me two loads to fit all the pieces of my service for 12.  When the dishes were dry, I set them out on the table.  I fussed for a while, arranging the centerpiece, the place settings, and serving pieces just so.  The salt and pepper shakers and the gravy boat had to be within easy reach.  I prepared the side dishes, cooked and freezing them, returning to the table now and again to admire it.

Early Thanksgiving morning, with the turkey already in the oven, I made a final inspection of the table.  Soon my guests would arrive and our whole family would be seated around it.

Everyone but Amanda, I thought.  Tears filled my eyes.  God, let me feel Your comforting presence today.

I dried my tears and laid the rolls out on a baking sheet.  I took a stick of butter from the fridge.  I lifted the lid on the butter dish.  A folded piece of paper lay inside, a letter dated 1997.  How did this get in here? I had to catch my breath.  The letter was from Amanda.

"Dear Grandma ..." I could hear Amanda's sweet voice as I read.  "Promise to keep secret about Mom's surprise." I remember.  My generous granddaughter had spent too much money on a special Christmas gift that year.  I had kept my promise to her to this day.

Then I reached the end of the letter.  "Well, I hate goodbyes, so I'll just say, See you later.  Love, Amanda."

I folded the letter and held it to my heart.  I can't explain how it made its way into the butter dish on Thanksgiving Day.  All I know is I received the exact message I needed to hear, at the moment I needed it most.  I had much to be thankful for.  I'd kept my promise to my granddaughter, and God would see to it that she kept her promise to me.  It's His promise to us all.  "See you later," Amanda said.  I'm counting on it.

And there you have it for today, and I hope this article brought you some comfort, especially if you've lost a loved one at this time of year, be he/she a son, daughter, aunt, uncle, niece, nephew, brother, sister, cousin or a friend.  I can vividly recall the year 1977 when, going through my cassettes around this time of year, that Dad had recorded a message on the Thanksgiving the year prior to the one in which he died.  He was not a Christian and the recording was of poor quality, cassettes being what they were, but we all gathered around the recorder and heard his words.  Dad wasn't by any means the most perfect dad, but he did provide for me and my two brothers.  He wasn't the abusive kind of person, but he would always say when we had a problem that we would bring to him, "Ask your mother."  I tell you, those recorded words brought tears to our eyes.

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 there will be another Daily Thought message.  Your Christian friend and brother, Paul