“Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” (I Thessalonians 5:16-18)
This is a nice week.
True, I don’t like the bitter cold and snow and ice that’s inevitably coming- RELATIVELY SOON. I’m not even real fond of the Christmas season. Celebrating Jesus’ birth and singing Christmas carols is actually very nice, but all the rat race, buying presents, and spending too much money, is not appealing.
But, THANKSGIVING is a great holiday! Thanksgiving is one of my favorites.
Often I’ll attend the Marian High School football game with one of my young adult kids. By the end, I’m often frozen and craving hot coffee, but it’s just a nice American tradition. Then it’s the turkey dinner. For those of you who think I’m one of those guys who does nothing in the kitchen, I’ll have you know that 75% of the time, I’m the cook in the family. But my wife Mary Ann prefers to make the Thanksgiving dinner and she does a great job. I’m one of those weird people who loves dark meat so I get quite a bit of the turkey all to myself. I’m also a big stuffing person. Sometimes we make traditional bread stuffings. Other times, we make the Baril family French Canadian meat stuffing which was my paternal grandmother’s recipe. It’s pretty much 50% regular bread stuffing and the other 50% is a mixture of ground sirloin and mild sausage meat, celery, and sometimes even a touch of mashed potatoes. Mixed all together, and cooked inside the turkey, the stuffing is the best part of the meal!
Thanksgiving is not just a day to “pig out” and watch football, however. It’s a season of thanking God for his many blessings. With all of our country’s faults, it’s still the greatest country in the world, and we are so privileged to live here. Each year I take part in the Framingham Community Thanksgiving Service. It’s always on the Tuesday night of Thanksgiving week. This year’s is at Temple Beth Am on Pleasant Street/Route 30. Joining together for a service of thankgiving with people of many and varied backgrounds is a very meaningful experience.
I usually take the Friday after Thanksgiving off. I may well do some “church work” on Friday afternoon and evening, but it will be nice to lay around the house on Friday morning.
Saturday night, I’ll be attending my 35th high school reunion in Canton. The last one was the 25th ten years ago. It will be interesting to see all of us as 53 and 54-year-olds. It seems like only yesterday we were graduating from high school...just days before the famous Watergate break-in. I’m the only “clergy person” in my graduating class. Last time I was invited to read the names of those who had passed away since the previous reunion and to open in prayer. In high school, I’d have NEVER been giving any kind of an address before the entire student body so that was quite an honor.
Well, have I bored you to tears? I hope not!
This is a nice week. I hope you will be able to enjoy it!
This is a nice week.
True, I don’t like the bitter cold and snow and ice that’s inevitably coming- RELATIVELY SOON. I’m not even real fond of the Christmas season. Celebrating Jesus’ birth and singing Christmas carols is actually very nice, but all the rat race, buying presents, and spending too much money, is not appealing.
But, THANKSGIVING is a great holiday! Thanksgiving is one of my favorites.
Often I’ll attend the Marian High School football game with one of my young adult kids. By the end, I’m often frozen and craving hot coffee, but it’s just a nice American tradition. Then it’s the turkey dinner. For those of you who think I’m one of those guys who does nothing in the kitchen, I’ll have you know that 75% of the time, I’m the cook in the family. But my wife Mary Ann prefers to make the Thanksgiving dinner and she does a great job. I’m one of those weird people who loves dark meat so I get quite a bit of the turkey all to myself. I’m also a big stuffing person. Sometimes we make traditional bread stuffings. Other times, we make the Baril family French Canadian meat stuffing which was my paternal grandmother’s recipe. It’s pretty much 50% regular bread stuffing and the other 50% is a mixture of ground sirloin and mild sausage meat, celery, and sometimes even a touch of mashed potatoes. Mixed all together, and cooked inside the turkey, the stuffing is the best part of the meal!
Thanksgiving is not just a day to “pig out” and watch football, however. It’s a season of thanking God for his many blessings. With all of our country’s faults, it’s still the greatest country in the world, and we are so privileged to live here. Each year I take part in the Framingham Community Thanksgiving Service. It’s always on the Tuesday night of Thanksgiving week. This year’s is at Temple Beth Am on Pleasant Street/Route 30. Joining together for a service of thankgiving with people of many and varied backgrounds is a very meaningful experience.
I usually take the Friday after Thanksgiving off. I may well do some “church work” on Friday afternoon and evening, but it will be nice to lay around the house on Friday morning.
Saturday night, I’ll be attending my 35th high school reunion in Canton. The last one was the 25th ten years ago. It will be interesting to see all of us as 53 and 54-year-olds. It seems like only yesterday we were graduating from high school...just days before the famous Watergate break-in. I’m the only “clergy person” in my graduating class. Last time I was invited to read the names of those who had passed away since the previous reunion and to open in prayer. In high school, I’d have NEVER been giving any kind of an address before the entire student body so that was quite an honor.
Well, have I bored you to tears? I hope not!
This is a nice week. I hope you will be able to enjoy it!
2 comments:
this will be year #5 with no thanksgiving for amy. :( i have to work thurs-sunday. i was going to make a meal on wed and have the people who can't go home for thanksgiving over, but no one wanted to come. oh well. enjoy the football game.
stuffing is gross. why would you want to shove a mixture of bread and veggies up a bird'd butt and then eat it?
don't fret amy... no people over means no dishes and no wasted money and no getting fat and no having the fridge smell like bird for weeks. You could bring your own meal of tatoes and turkey sandwiches to work and then go visit all the people and sing bringing in the sheaves to all the babies...
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