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Monday, October 11, 2021

A Celebration of Thankfulness (in both the bitter and sweet)

Happy Thanksgiving!
(I apologize in advance for the long post,
a few days in the 'making')

This Canada Thanksgiving weekend groans 
with love's bitterest and sweetest tokens...
On Friday morning I visited my sister 
recovering from a surgery ...sweet sister-fellowship💗 
On Friday afternoon I watched grandchildren 
while my daughter and son-in-law went to a visitation 
for a young man who drowned in a boating accident ...bitter😢
When they returned home we tossed all to-do lists to the wind
and made a campfire supper to enjoy the gorgeous autumn evening 
and each other's company...life is precious! ... sweet💖

(the idea came from a pretend fire earlier)

This pretend-fire idea came after delighting in the 'magic beans'/ pole beans
plucked from the vine on the arbor and deciding to make 'bean-soup'...


Saturday was a flurry of food-prep/cleaning 
for Saturday night Thanksgiving dinner ...sweet😘😋




Sunday morning Jim took some of our family to the airport 
only to discover some MUCH needed document was missed.
The decision was made that he would try to get home and back before the flight leaves
or someone would be left behind and need to fly out today.
While he was driving back and every precious minute mattered
he got a text saying the flight was delayed and all turned out well ...sweet!! 🙏

Yesterday, Sunday afternoon my 14 yr. old niece (my brother Lewis's daughter)
was involved in an accident
and she is in a medically induced coma at Sick Kids in TO.
to reduce stress from internal injuries. ...bitter!
Please pray!
But during bitter or sweet God is the same; always good and
we thank Him for His faithfulness.
The song at the end of this post
 was shared at our Church service yesterday morning;
part of  an amazing testimony as a couple shared a recent 
heart-rending, miraculous account
 of God's faithfulness in their lives
You can listen to it here;
 the testimony starts at 19:05 mins. in the recording...

It is Autumn and the earth is full of God's glory!
Isa.6:3
... “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; 
the whole earth is full of his glory.”


Autumn’s aria escalates in treetop-orchestras
A melody sweeps through landscapes beneath breathless applause
Where humankind is smitten by glimmers of majesty
Who authored earth and heavens at creation's ‘let there be’
Whose divine providence instills the crux of buds and seeds
A wondrous fount that spills to fulfill mortal’s basic needs

The earth and its fullness thereof belongs to He who bends
The land’s four-season treasure-trove with bounty’s dividends
Where, as we contemplate the ways of God’s mercies renewed
This day that He has made overwhelms us with gratitude
For granted humble honour to partake of heaped buffets
Not with indulgent manner but with thankfulness and praise

Creation thunders with the evidence that grace bestows
Where wonder upon wonder’s undercurrent overflows
And steals the show with Master-pieces on public display
Then, leap for joy for none can keep God’s handiwork at bay
And let the colors of the season soothe and percolate
To bind the wounds where mind and reason cannot mediate

The world is full of ways to worry or to trust and pray
Time is in such a hurry to turn into yesterday
Then linger in the bowers where beauty bares nature’s soul
Where autumn’s garden flowers overhead while petals toll
To waft, breath-soft beneath our feet to thrill us once again
Enchanted by the bittersweetness of autumn’s amen

Let’s vow to love each other even if we disagree
Let’s cherish words like sister, brother, mom, dad, family
Let’s count the ways of happiness rather than what we lack
Be filled with praise and thankfulness, not vile, verbal attack
Let’s bow our heads and thank the Lord, who made Heaven and earth
For love and forgiveness outpoured; for salvation’s rebirth

Let’s live a life of gratefulness for God is in control
His everlasting faithfulness to strengthen and console
Then come what may, upon Time’s ever surging-ebbing tide
God is our advocate each day; His mercies will provide
And though our thankfulness may flow from hearts by sorrow torn
God’s loving kindness will bestow hope’s flower to the thorn

Autumn aria crescendos, then dwindles leaf by leaf
Scattering summer’s mementos like tears of joy and grief
Capturing the attentions of we, who identify
With the shifting dimensions of beauty that meets the eye
Aware that we behold but glimpses of God’s mighty ways
We raise our hearts and voices with glad thankfulness and praise

© Janet Martin




Grand-sonny on a stump-and-tin-pail drum set...sweet💕😘


2 comments:

  1. Happy Canadian Thanksgiving to you and yours, Janet!
    Your community's been receiving its fair share of "bitter" - prayers for your friends, and family, especially your young niece, may she have a full and speedy recovery.
    A beautiful poem as always. These are my favorite lines:

    "And though our thankfulness may flow from hearts by sorrow torn
    God’s loving kindness will bestow hope’s flower to the thorn"

    Be well, dear friend.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Dear Sasha,
    thank-you so much for your kind words. My niece is stable but because of multiple injuries/pain they are keeping her sedated. Yes. It feels like this community receives blow after blow! I guess that's part of being a close-knit community as well. Your prayers are deeply appreciated at this time.

    ReplyDelete

I hope you enjoyed your pause on this porch and thank-you for your visit!