Irregular Thanksgivings

Do you remember the famous Norman Rockwell painting of Thanksgiving that originally graced the cover of the Post magazine many years ago? In this famous painting a family is sitting around a table loaded with food and an older lady, probably the grandmother, is holding the turkey for all to see. As nostalgic and iconic as the picture may be, I don’t think this is what most people experience on Thanksgiving. What about you?

This fact was driven home to me during the table topic portion at my Toastmaster’s group this week. The lady leading the table topic asked, “Have you ever had an irregular Thanksgiving?” As it turned out, it seemed like everyone had had some kind of unusual event. The descriptions of these gatherings ranged from turkeys falling into a soapy sink, turkeys flying across the room and landing in a guest’s lap, being served a Chinese dinner instead of turkey and trimmings, and a lady showing up unannounced at an ex-spouse's house for Thanksgiving dinner.

This last one was interesting because the ex-husband had shown up at the ex-wife's house uninvited over the years, with his current girlfriend-of-the-month in tow. Then one year the ex-wife told the family (which included his children, their spouses, and the grandchildren), "We are going to Dad’s house this year." Sure enough, they all showed up, unannounced on the doorstep of his house, which he shared with his current girlfriend. The ex-wife said it was her best Thanksgiving ever because this time she surprised the ex-husband, and she did exactly what the ex-husband always did; she went into the living room and plopped down in a chair and allowed him to serve her.

Have you ever experienced an irregular Thanksgiving? I don’t think any of us truly have had the Thanksgiving that Norman Rockwell portrayed in his famous Post cover. Maybe I’m wrong, but I think more of us have experienced at least a few of the irregular kind. From my own experience, we know the meal is ready with the smoke alarm goes off. The details are very sensitive…but that’s the story and we are sticking to it. It seems the irregularities are what people remember most, and perhaps they at least make the day more memorable.

The examples I’ve given are amusing ones, but there are some for whom, disappointment is on the menu every time their family gets together. Could it be because we feel we are under pressure to live up to the Norman Rockwell ideal? That perfect Thanksgiving is what other people have, not us. But not so fast! Could it be that a change in attitude and a few altered expectations might turn around the outcome?

This Thanksgiving can be different if we adjust our expectations and realize that the purpose of the holiday is the opportunity to spend time together, to be with family and friends that you might not have a chance to see often. Find the joy in being together with whatever group you find yourself with this year. Yes, there may be mishaps. There may even be real problems! The food might not taste exactly as you remember it or not be to your personal liking. But instead of focusing on these inconveniences, consider what Thanksgiving is really about! Think of all that you have to be thankful for this year. I’m certain there are more things than you imagine. Start by making a list. Here are a few things to consider!
• You're alive
• You have a group to spend Thanksgiving with, even if it’s a only a pair of family members, a few or friends, or you're serving dinner at a homeless shelter!
• ________________________

What can you add to your list? What will you be thankful for this "irregular" Thanksgiving?

Rocks On My Path

Yes, it has happened. I had a dump truck load of rock through all over my path. It was a mess. And because I have been spending time pick out the best ones and rearranging them I haven’t been posting on my blog. I am very close to finishing my rock decorating scheme and will be back on my trek soon. Want a preview of the new rock beautification?

Is This You?

He failed in business in ’32.

He ran as a state legislator and lost in ’32.

He tried business again in ’33 and failed again.

His sweetheart died in ’35.

He had a nervous breakdown in ’41.

He was defeated for the nomination to Congress in’43.

He was defeated again for Congress in’48.

He was defeated when he ran for the Senate in ’55.

He was defeated for the vice presidency of the United States in ’56.

He ran again for Senate in ’58 and lost.

Who is he?

Most of us would have kept going after the first failure. A group of us might have gone on even after the third, fourth, and fifth defeat. Very few individuals would keep going after the eighth or ninth. Where would you have stopped if this had been your life’s path?

Perseverance is defined as "determined continuation with something; steady and continued action or belief, usually over a long period and especially despite difficulties or setbacks." Have you heard the saying, “Keeping the faith?" Another way to word it is “not giving up regardless of what may happen.” It takes faith to persevere.

The individual’s life listed above had to have faith in something in order to keep going. Was his faith in himself or in something bigger? Could it have been his faith in believing that he had a destiny? I don’t know. But I do wonder what keeps a person going in the face of set-backs, failures, and defeats. What do you have faith in that keeps you on your path?

Philippians 3:13, in the New King James Version, says, “Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead . . . “ Let’s look more closely at that statement. “Apprehended” is another way of saying to grasp. The Greek word used here is active. This isn’t just a one-time grab. It's active, and it means to seize or clutch, to clasp or embrace. Likewise, the apostle's statement, “But one thing I do," shows specific concentration and focus. As Goethe said, “When all is said, the greatest art is to limit and isolate oneself.” In the next phrase, “Forgetting those things which are behind,” we see a reminder that regardless of whether an experience is good, bad, or neutral, we should leave it behind and continually strive, or “reach forward.” Stretching forward evokes a mental picture of a runner leaning and reaching forward as he seeks to finish the race. It involves using every muscle in your body to achieve your goal; straining with your last ounce of energy.

Philippians 3:14 continues: “I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” I am pushing and crowding forward to reach the goal or cross the finish line with a prize in mind. Here is our motivation -- Jesus himself, whom we must continually focus upon as we run this race. The Greek for “high calling” literally means that we are to strive for the prize “of the upward calling.” “The goal continually moves forward as we press on, but yet it is never out of sight,” states Robertson's Word Pictures of the New Testament.

Hebrews 12:2 from The Message says it this way: “Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we're in. Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed - that exhilarating finish in and with God - he could put up with anything along the way: cross, shame, whatever. And now he's there, in the place of honor, right alongside God.”

May God give you that extra measure of perseverance when you need it so you can keep on keeping on the path He has you walking.

Now, can you guess who the person is with all the defeats listed at the beginning? Do you want to know if he kept going and never gave up? Well, I think you'll agree that he never quit. He kept trying until the very last.

In 1860, Abraham Lincoln was elected President of the United States.
Don’t you give up, either!

"Let me tell you the secret that has led me to my goal.
My strength lies solely in my tenacity."
~ Louis Pasteur

Paths

For many summers, bunches of us kids enjoyed the freedom of exploring pathways that snaked all over a small valley in the back country near Yosemite, as we camped with our families. One place in particular comes to mind when I think of the word path. It’s the path to the little meadow embraced by a small stand of forest at the top of one of the mountains.

On the last section of the path, in order to reach our favorite meadow we needed to climb a 45° slippery slope of deep decomposed granite-covered mountain. As soon as each of us reached this section we started running as fast as we could to make it through this quick-sand-like mountain defense. It was like an epic battle against the mountain to win our way up this path to reach our treasured meadow. The problem was that year after year we would run as hard as we could, but our progress became slower and more difficult. Finally we would become so tired in our assault on the trail that we would find ourselves sliding backwards. It was like being on an escalator going the wrong direction. People would just pass you by—going backwards. If you stopped moving completely you would soon find yourself knee deep in granite sand.

One year when I got to this section of the path, one of my friends happened to be climbing over to the right of our usual path a bit more than normal. To my surprise, they didn’t seem to be struggling as much as the rest of us. With effort, I slowly worked my way horizontally to the right. Although the path was still covered with the decomposed granite, to my surprise it didn’t seem as slippery. I decided to try stepping and step a bit more to the right up against some Manzanita plants and discovered that the ground was firmer! Why didn’t I think of this before? There was still a river of decomposed granite, the mountain was still breath-takingly steep, but I now had a firm foundation under my feet. My feet were covered with granite sand, but I could still walk. I must have looked smug as I slowly passed everyone.
Once out of this treacherous section, the ground levels out near the top and is covered with five- to six-foot high Manzanita plants and the path narrows substantially as it winds through the plants. After much effort, I finally broke through the Manzanita growth to a view of our special sun- dappled meadow.

As I have considered that path, I have realized that it is like our life’s journey. Sometimes we struggle and fight against the situation or circumstances of our life. Sometimes we just keep going, struggling and never changing, and becoming weaker. On occasion we stop while the world passes us by. Then maybe we do something different and find a fresh step on solid footing. We are finally able to move forward and make progress. However, we can soon discover that as we move out of one complication, we immediately face another, until we reach our goal.

I could have ended this pathway story right there. But as I reflected, a deeper thought bubbled to the surface. God was with me on both paths. Yes, just like with the quicksand-like granite struggle, God is with us during every challenging time in our lives. Times when we just can’t take another step. Periods when we are weak and weary. At such times we go about life in our own strength, mental ability, or sheer will. The Lord bids us to come to Him and He will give us rest. The Message says, “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest.” Matthew 11:28. He is there even when we are weak, asking us to gain strength from Him. God desires to show us a better path and He will set our feet on a firm foundation. Again from The Message, “The fundamental fact of existence is that this trust in God, this faith, is the firm foundation under everything that makes life worth living. It's our handle on what we can't see.” Hebrews 11:1

Want to reach the goal and set foot in the beautiful sun-dappled meadow? He is with you and He knows the way.