Thanksgiving Evening, 2021—A Year to Be Thankful
Well, here we are. It’s been a while since I wrote this blog, so there must have been a reason, right? Yes, there were several. For many weeks, I just couldn’t put together any thoughts I believed would make a good blog read. Maybe because the previous several “chapters” were taxing to the memory, recounting the family history was more writer-energy draining than I would have previously imagined. Nevertheless, I’ll say on——it is now almost 3 months later.
We’re so very happy and blessed to have all 3 of our offspring to live here in the same community as us. When we began to visit this area of NE AL, only our oldest son lived here. But, it seemed the best place for us to move to, having the necessity to be in an area which would cost less than where we had been; we saw most advantageously we could live here.
Then, our daughter came to live here in a transitional state. But, when our granddaughter excelled in school here and wanted to attend Auburn, this along with a couple of other developments led her to believe this is best for her as well.
About 15 months ago, you might remember I wrote about our second son’s traumatic loss of their home by fire. When that was all settled, and his body on the mend from other maladies, it seemed best for them to come this way also.
So, as of July, 2021, all our family has successfully invaded Fort Payne, AL. Other relatives are welcome to come here, also, and with just a few of you we can complete our coup and run the whole dang town!
Today’s Thanksgiving day gathering was marvelously furnished by the whole group. I, of course, did what I do best on big-meal-days, eat and say thank you to all the cooks! But along with that we had a lot of laughs, a lot of stories, and a lot of love for one another. Except for five grandchildren, the entire family was present (three were in Texas with their father, one there with his mother, and one was in Germany with his mother.)
Saturday, Nov.27, 2021
With the news being fed to us reading more like terrorism than the actual shooting and looting, we now have another strain of flu about to attack us! I’m not surprised. Since I’m one of those who believes the first one was a manmade attack on liberty and civility, I believe the next strain to be promulgated as was the first. Please; I’m not saying they weren’t or aren’t real or really harmful. No, I’m saying we didn’t have to have endured them at all. Science, the pursuit of the truth, misses the mark because the dominant education process for more than one hundred years (closer to two hundred) is geared to believe that pursuing the truth is always worth the risks. Not so. We have a science category for everything based on a failure to believe the Holy Scriptures. Science thinks along a line that says our survival as a planet depends on them! Scripture would not ever lead anyone into this falsehood of hopelessness. Instead, it is very plain through rightly dividing the word of truth and, in fact the whole Bible, how Christ is the answer and His return to this earth for a 1000 years will show what we need and do not need — science such as it is today, will not fit into that picture perfect “day.”
But, we are faced with many dilemmas concerning whether or not to heed the promulgation and wring our hands in worry over what might kill us. It’s easy to get the words of the horrifically afeared which have the sound of doom and also to hear the indignant braggarts who want to say they’ll never cower under threats! …Here’s what I know and wholeheartedly believe about all this: “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and love, and of a sound mind.” Isn’t that simpler? Of course, it is. Listen folks, it doesn’t bother me if you and all your family get the vaccinations and the boosters,….and whatever the system puts forth for the oncoming new strain. I don’t have an opinion about you in this. I have an opinion about me, though. It has from the first been my thought that I’m not too likely to catch the flu. I haven’t had a recognizable flu symptom since 1981. But, I could get it. In which case one of three things is going to happen. 1.) It will kill me, or 2.)I will survive it, or 3.) I will not have had it after all. 98.4% NOT getting the flu is reason to not get too dragged down into hiding about it all, I think.
All of the above does not lessen the grief we’ve borne over the loss of loved ones in this past year. In fact, not just with covid, but with tragedy continuing through this year, we’ve had much to bear, yet the Lord has borne us up and we rejoice in His love and mercy. In January we lost my niece to the ravages of the disease, then my son-in-law’s mother passed away in February. My wife’s only remaining sibling passed away in March. Then, in July, a great nephew passed away of a heart condition made worse by covid. In October, a cousin of mine whom I knew more as a child than as an adult passed away, leaving only one person from her family still with us. Coupling those who’ve gone on before us with the news in January that one of my sons had an heart attack followed by a 5 bypass surgery, but thankfully is on an ever increasing recovery now. (Plus they have graced us with their move to our town, making all 3 of our children to be a mere stone’s throw away! We like that—first time in 40 years we’ve all lived in the same town.) Several weeks back my brother’s wife was hit by a reckless driver and is still suffering some lingering pains from her injuries. And recently, just a week ago, I had a mild heart attack and the good Doctor found a problem in previously place stents and fixed me up. I’m doing well, thank you.
All the above was just what has happened in my family this year. Even there, I might have missed someone. But, adding the trauma of this life in the people we know and love, several deaths or worrisome sicknesses, many more than normal and yes, it’s not been a year to brag about. Though, as always through it all, the Lord’s word testifies of His promise and life is worth the living!
Thanks for reading, the Elder
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