Happy Thanksgiving, Friends!

Come, ye thankful people, come,

Raise the song of harvest home;

All is safely gathered in,

Ere the winter storms begin.

God our Maker doth provide

For our wants to be supplied;

Come to God's own temple, come,

Raise the song of harvest home.

All the world is God's own field,

Fruit unto His praise to yield;

Wheat and tares together sown

Unto joy or sorrow grown.

First the blade and then the ear,

Then the full corn shall appear;

Lord of harvest, grant that we

Wholesome grain and pure may be.

I spent yesterday with my mother, preparing a pumpkin cake which is not any mere pumpkin cake. Indeed it has pumpkin, and a cream cheese frosting, but it also has 8,000 steps and at least that many pounds of butter. It was complicated, and caloric, and I can't wait to eat it after the meal. Here is the the recipe for this cake:

The other thing which I'm excited about eating is my husband's stuffing. A mixture of beef, pork, onion, sage and potatoes, we typically put it inside crust to make a meat pie for Christmas. At Thanksigiving, it stands alone, a tradition he brought to me.

But food is only a small part of the day, really. Most important is to recognize the bounty and blessings, with the knowledge that they are not forever. Some Thanskgivings won't be so thankful in the years to come, as we face the issues of aging, the possibility of losing one's pension, (maybe you could be thankful you're not a teacher in Illinois? :) and untold other woes.

Yet in all things, give thanks, (1 Thess. 5: 18) and that is what I'm hanging on to. Especially today.

May your day, may your year, be wonderfully blessed.