Happy Thanksgiving...

This morning in the barn, I had a song running through my head.  

It was written in 1890 by Amos Herr, a Lancaster County farmer and Mennonite pastor, who lived not far from where we live now.  He woke on a Sunday morning to find snow drifts too deep to get to Church with his family...even on horseback. He decided to focus on thankfulness, and wrote this song...

photo credit to my sister Peg

Here are the lyrics...

(imagine it sung acapella...beautiful four part harmony...that's the way I hear it!)

I Owe The Lord A Morning Song...by Amos Herr

I owe the Lord a morning song
Of gratitude and praise,
For the kind mercy He has shown
In length'ning out my days.

He kept me safe another night;
I see another day;
Now may His Spirit, as the light,
Direct me in His way.

Keep me from danger and from sin:
Help me Thy will to do,
So that my heart be pure within;
And I Thy goodness know.

Keep me till Thou wilt call me hence,
Where never night can be;
And save me, Lord, for Jesus' sake.
He shed His blood for me.

Amen

Here's a link to the song on youtube, if you'd like to hear it... 

The weather here today is not snowy...for which I am thankful! 

In fact, it's beautiful!  Sunny, still, temps in the mid 30's...the kids are both here...and we're planning to see lots of family today, and in the next few days that we don't often see.  We have much to be thankful for!

Wishing you all a Happy Thanksgiving!

A Thanksgiving Hymn...

What better way to celebrate Thanksgiving than to remember the words of this old hymn! 

Praise to God, immortal praise,

For the love that crowns our days;

Bounteous source of every joy,

Let Thy praise our tongues employ.

For the blessings of the field,

For the stores the gardens yield,

For the joy which harvests bring,

Grateful praises now we sing.

Clouds that drop refreshing dews;

Suns that genial heat diffuse;

Flocks that whiten all the plain,

Yellow sheaves of ripened grain.

All that spring with bounteous hand,

Scatters o'er the smiling land;

All that liberal autumn pours

From her overflowing stores.

These, great God to Thee we owe,

Source whence all our blessings flow;

And for these our souls shall raise

Grateful vows and solemn praise.

As long as I can remember, this hymn has been sung  a cappella, and from memory at every family gathering on my Dad's side of the family.  This was my Grandpa's favorite song, and I can still picture him the last few times we were together, sitting in his chair, with a smile on his face as we all sang!


Wishing you all a wonderful Thanksgiving!

A Good Reminder...

I must admit...this past week was just about all I could take!

Yes, I am a fair weather fan...I complain when it's too cold!  I complain when it's too hot!

This thermometer hangs outside our shop door...

We saw record breaking temps like this for at least four days this past week.  And this is what Jim and Eric and my nephew were doing on Saturday morning...

I will admit...I was feeling pretty sorry for us; having to work outside in the miserable humidity when others could be inside in the air conditioning, staying cool and comfortable. 

And then I read the status of one of my facebook friends...

"What if we woke up, with only that for which we were thankful for yesterday?"

Was I thankful for the electricity that runs the fans that keep the cows cool?

Was I thankful for the way the cows hung in there in the heat?

Was I thankful for the shower I could take when I was finished working...and the air-conditioned bedroom that I could hibernate to for a while?

Was I thankful for those loads of beautiful hay that Jim baled?

Was I thankful that our kids were happy to have cousins visiting?

Was I thankful that we are healthy and well fed?

And the list goes on...

Do I enjoy being hot and sticky and smelly and dirty any more than I did before I read that?  NO! 

But was I reminded to be thankful for the blessings that we have in the midst of all that?  YES!

Christmas day...

I'm not sure how they missed it, but our cows must not have seen the calendar yesterday.  They expected to be fed and milked just like any other day...

We rolled out of bed a little early; there was much to be accomplished as quickly as possible.  We wanted to be sure that we were finished with the milking long before the milk truck arrived...it wouldn't have been a good morning to make him wait!  Christmas day for milk truck drivers can be a real hassle.

We had decided to give the kids the morning off to spend time with their cousins who had arrived from out of town on Christmas eve, so Jim and I headed out to the barn and got busy.  Thankfully, "everyone" and "everything" cooperated, and we were finished with the morning work by about 11:00.  Then it was time to head to our first "family feast". 

We had a delicious lunch and spent a fun afternoon with Jim's family.  All too soon, 4:00 rolled around, and Jim and I headed home to take care of the ladies.  The kids stayed behind to spend time with their cousins.  I made the mistake of getting comfortable on the sofa  "for just a few minutes" and had a hard time getting out to the barn!  That's how it is for me...getting out there can be a slow process, but once I'm there, I'm always surprised at how quickly things go.

After milking, when the kids came home, we spent a quiet evening watching old "Get Smart" episodes on dvd.  Ahh...mindless entertainment!

The celebrating isn't over yet...more cousins arrived from out of town today, and we'll spend tomorrow with my family!  We'll fit in the fun between the chores for the next few days, and then it'll be back to the regular routine.

We are thankful for the few hours we have off between milkings, but I'll be honest with you...we long for the day when we can have a real day off!  But until the cows learn how to "hold it", Christmas will be just like any other day!

Thanksgiving...

Yesterday was a wonderful day...

We had Thanksgiving lunch with Jim's family, came home and did the milking, and then spent the evening with my family.  It was cold and damp all day, but we had a warm day inside, spending time with people we enjoy!

I am thankful for a warm house when it's cold and damp outside...

I am thankful for the smell of Thanksgiving dinner...

I am thankful for cousins who enjoy being together...

I am thankful for more than enough to eat...and then some...

I am thankful for a long Thanksgiving break from school...

I am thankful for leftover turkey...

I am thankful for storage bins that help me get organized...

I am thankful for an attic in which to store said bins...

I am thankful for a good book to curl up with before bed...

I am thankful for laughter with friends...

And...I am thankful that Cowboys and Eagles fans can amicably co-exist! :)

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving! 

And more thankfulness...

As we get closer to Thanksgiving, I am more and more frustrated by the way "commercialism" has taken over this time of year!   Where has Thanksgiving gone?  Has it been hidden behind all the Christmas decorations that went up at our local shopping centers on November 1st?  Has it been forgotten?  Really?

I don't really think so...but I do think that we need to be more intentional about being thankful...not just now, but all the time!  Counting our blessings, no matter how small or insignificant, is a great reminder of how blessed we are!  So, once again...


I am thankful for the heater in my bathroom...

I am thankful that it isn't 8 degrees here today, like I saw it is in Montana on my friend's facebook status...

I am thankful for our kids' friends...they make life so much more fun...

I am thankful for Subway lunch...

I am thankful that we live within 5 miles of (almost) everything...

I am thankful for the local library...

I am thankful for Sunday afternoons, when I can prop up my feet and bury my nose in a book...

I am thankful that Jim could spend time away this weekend with friends...

I am thankful that things went like clockwork here, while he was gone...

And...I am thankful that he will be home soon...I want to sleep in tomorrow morning! :)


What are YOU thankful for?

More thankfulness...

I am thankful for Jim, who works hard every day without complaint...


I am thankful for a rainy day to do some catch up work...


I am thankful that what I was dreading today did not take place after all...


I am thankful for a daughter who enjoys filling the house with beautiful violin music...


I am thankful that my nephew can come home for Thanksgiving...


I am thankful for good neighbors...


I am thankful that the new heifer had her calf last evening, before milking, and not at midnight...


I am thankful that Eric and I could watch the Eagles wallop the Redskins last night...

I am thankful for...

Here it is, almost Thanksgiving again.  This is my favorite holiday of all!  We have SO MUCH to be thankful for!  I was reading another blog this morning, and I got this idea from there...to share just a few of the things I am most thankful for right now...

I am thankful for my family!

I am thankful for the opportunity to live on a farm...work and all!

I am thankful that the heifer we just loaded, walked onto the trailer without a fight!

I am thankful that the fall work is coming to an end!

I am thankful for safety on the farm!

I am thankful for the beautiful weather we've been having this week!

I am thankful for my "new" friends and neighbors, Rhoda and Anne, who I walk with every week, and who are becoming a very valuable part of my life!

I am thankful for our church family...they really are like a big family!

I am thankful for our boiler; even though it burns alot of oil, it keeps us warm!

And...I am thankful for the end of daylight savings time, and an extra hour of sleep last weekend!