{"id":1395,"date":"2017-11-24T12:05:53","date_gmt":"2017-11-24T18:05:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.wattmans.com\/blog\/?p=1395"},"modified":"2017-12-09T10:24:57","modified_gmt":"2017-12-09T16:24:57","slug":"happy-thanksgiving-2017","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.wattmans.com\/blog\/by-rick\/happy-thanksgiving-2017\/","title":{"rendered":"Happy Thanksgiving, 2017"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>

Clockwise from left: Judy, Alex, Grant, Rick, Mike, Andrea, Anna, Claire, and Esther.<\/p><\/div>\n

“Happy Thanksgiving” is a greeting worth considering.<\/p>\n

On the surface, it is a well-intended wish that the recipient will enjoy the holiday. After all, how can one help but be happy if one only takes time to give thanks? It makes sense. If you focus on the blessings in your life, and take time to appreciate them rather than take them for granted\u2014or better still, focus on the good rather than the bad\u2014you are bound to feel better about how things are going.<\/p>\n

In a strict sense, there is an implicit imperative to “have a happy ___(holiday)___.” Does your commanding me to be happy then make it so? Not so much. Were it only so simple!<\/p>\n

It feels good that you want that for me, and I may thank you for your well wishes, but doing so doesn’t really influence the outcome.<\/p>\n

To whom are we to “give” the thanks? For our family, we give our thanks to the one true God, and to Jesus, God incarnate to earth. Knowing that He is sovereign in our lives gives us confidence and freedom to live our lives without worry.<\/strong> We can spend our lives to make a difference in the lives of others; to extravagantly share our love and resources; and not to live in fear of what might happen\u2014nor of those who may wish us ill.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Our\u00a0annual family Thanksgiving Day gathering<\/strong> for 2017, was at the Dronen home. Their “hobby farm” has been the traditional site in recent memory. It is actually perfect. We\u00a0literally\u00a0<\/span>go\u00a0“over the river and through the woods”<\/em>\u2014not to Grandmother’s house (as in the song) but you get the idea.<\/p>\n

???<\/p>\n

The Dronens have raised turkeys on their farm for years\u2014vowing each year that “this year will be the last.” Their bird provides the annual bounty (and a bit of extra work for them, too). It is remarkably noticeable how fresh and good the turkey tastes. The last couple of years, Mike has smoked the turkey outside over a wood fire. Even better! Everyone in attendance brings a part of the meal, and we enjoy a time of reflection around the table.<\/p>\n

There may also be a football game on the television; we may go for a walk before or after the meal; and we will definitely play a game of some sort. We certainly enjoy the comfort of one another’s company.<\/p>\n

Another recent tradition is the Thanksgiving Tablecloth<\/strong>. Each person who is present writes in permanent marker on a white tablecloth something for which they are thankful. It is hoped that over time this will become a family memento for future generations. It is a visible reminder of the timeless truth from Psalm 92:<\/p>\n

It is good to give thanks to the Lord
\nAnd to sing praises to Your name, O Most High;
\nTo declare Your lovingkindness in the morning
\nAnd Your faithfulness by night…
\nFor You, O Lord, have made me glad by what You have done,
\nI will sing for joy at the works of Your hands.<\/div>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

“Happy Thanksgiving” is a greeting worth considering. On the surface, it is a well-intended wish that the recipient will enjoy the holiday. After all, how can one help but be happy if one only takes time to give thanks? It … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.wattmans.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1395"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.wattmans.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.wattmans.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.wattmans.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.wattmans.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1395"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"http:\/\/www.wattmans.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1395\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1409,"href":"http:\/\/www.wattmans.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1395\/revisions\/1409"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.wattmans.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1395"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.wattmans.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1395"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.wattmans.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1395"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}