Missing Thanksgiving Day

I use my iPod to listen to various broadcasts from the States. I download
them the day after they are broadcasted in the US. Yesterday I was lis-
tening to prerecorded programs aired on Thanksgiving Day. Last Mon-
day different programs started talking about Thanksgiving plans and
friends emailed me with plans of what would be happening at their home
on Turkey Day. So, on Thursday I did feel a bit bummed. The day is so
uniquely American. The Canadians have their own Thanksgiving Day,
but the British people do not have anything like a national day of giv-
ing thanks. The Brits are a thankful people, but there is not the sense
of a national day to give thanks.

There was always a large number of American students and their families
at the University of St. Andrews, where I lived for over four years. The
Americans at the Divinity School would always gather together to plan a
big potluck dinner with some family doing a turkey with all the trimmings.
We would also invite friends from other countries to share time together.
But this year I am out of contact with the community, so I was on my
own.

But on Thursday I took time to give thanks to the Lord for all the bless-
ings that have been bestowed on me over all these years. I have so many
great memories of Thanksgiving Days at home in Longview, and then with
Mom in Kelso, of my nearly eighteen years of ministry in Boston, of spe-
cial Thanksgiving Days with American missionaries in Costa Rica. I real-
ly had a lot of fun remembering. I especially remembered Thanksgiv-
ings in Boston with my dear friend Janie, the people at Roxbury Presby-
terian Church, the staff of the Emmanuel Gospel Center, and with mem-
bers of the Montebello Community. When I was at the Fellowship-Eman-
uel Bookstore, the day after Turkey Day was always one of our busiest
days as people began their Christmas shopping. The Thanksgiving meal
was always the calm before the storm for me.

Most of all, I am thankful for the Lord's protection, provision, and guid-
ance over all these years. It has been very challenging, but I have al-
ways been brought back to the Lord's loving kindness and faithful-
ness. That is my prayer for you all.

Blessings to you and yours,