Thanksgiving: A Secular Holiday?

On Monday, I re-posted a blog entry from a couple of years ago.  The topic was basically the secularization of Thanksgiving.  What prodded me to write it was that it was increasingly bothering me how much people say how thankful we are without really expressing that the thanks go to God.

I hate to be picky, and I know that even people who are truly thankful to God don't have to say it constantly just for my benefit.  It's really between each of us and God, anyway.  When you see what I'm griping about today, you'll really think I'm getting picky.  Well here it is.

The Mini Page.  Yeah, that's right, I'm peeved at The Mini Page, the dear old standby of the daily newspaper.  In years gone by I praised The Mini Page for informative features on the pilgrims and accurate history of their journey.  I used it in school for years and years.

So when I read this year's Thanksgiving Mini Page, something didn't ring true.  The following things were enumerated for children to be thankful for:

• Be thankful for school
• Be thankful for flowers
• Be thankful school is nearby
• Be thankful for school workers
• Be thankful for books
• Be thankful for running water
• Be thankful for clean water
• Be thankful for swimming pools
• Be thankful for boats
• Be thankful for bathrooms
• Be thankful for toilet paper
• Be thankful for our blue planet

So WHO do we thank for all these things?
How easy would it be to say, "Like the pilgrims, we have so much to thank God for."  But I'm not really trying to be critical of The Mini Page.  The author has to try hard not to be offensive, and it's not her job to provide religious training.  But it certainly makes me mindful how easy it is to fall into the trap of being thankful to no one in particular.  And how easy it is to intentionally include God whenever we offer thanks for even the smallest blessings.

And yes, thank you God for toilet paper.
I hope you and your family have a wonderful celebration of this holiday with God at the center.

Brianna on Stage: "Fat Turkeys are We. . ."

Judy and I had a nice treat this past Friday

evening.  Brianna was in her first program

at F.A.I.T.H. Preschool.

That's Futures Are In The Hands of the Lord.

Here's Brianna making her entrance.  She's in

jeans and a gray shirt front and center

beside her teacher.

Here's Bri, in place with the other "Toddler

Turkeys."  I'm sure all the other parents

were just certain their child was the sweetest

little dumpling in the pot, but that would be Bri.

Because I know everyone is very busy and

it's a lot to ask people to sit through videos

of other people's grandchildren, I've posted

viewing times (all brief) with the four songs

in which I thought Bri was most enthusiastic

in singing and doing the motions.  The lyrics

are actually rather humorous.  And all the

Pilgrims, Indians, and Turkeys are adorable.

Gobble, Gobble (32 seconds)

                       Gobble, gobble, gobble, gobble
                       Fat turkeys, fat turkeys.
                      Gobble, gobble, gobble, gobble
                       Fat turkeys are we.
                      We're not here for living,
                      We're here for Thanksgiving,
                      Gobble, gobble, gobble, gobble
                      Fat turkeys are we.

Turkey Dinner  (33 seconds)

Turkey dinner, turkey dinner

Gather 'round, gather 'round.

who will get the drumstick?

Yummy, yummy drumstick.

All sit down. All sit down.

Chestnut stuffing, cornbread muffins,

Pumpkin pie, mile high.

We were all thinner,

Till we came to dinner.

Me oh my, me oh my!

Ten Little Indians  (49 seconds)

1 little, 2, little, 3 little Indians,

4 little, 5 little, 6 little Indians,

7 little, 8 little, 9 little Indians,

10 little Indian boys and girls.

*Oo Ah Oo Ah, shoot that arrow . . .

*Sittin' in the boat and the boat tips over . . .

Indian Chief  (20 seconds)

This is a great big Indian chief.

This is his arrow and his bow.

This is his wigwam. This is his flute.

And this is the way he sits just so.

So there's a quick summary of the

season's best entertainment.  Wow,

what will the Christmas program be like?

Old Thanksgiving Post Revisited

Way back in 2008 I posted these thoughts about Thanksgiving and what it means or should mean to us.  Thanks to good friend Mark Garner for reposting it on his new Facebook page "Recollections and Remembrances," I was prompted to repost it on my own blog since my readership has changed a lot since those days.
                                       Thanksgiving
I thought I'd better get in some of my Thanksgiving thoughts before folks start traveling for the holidays.

Something that has been on my heart for several years now is that society has secularized Thanksgiving just as much as Christmas. But Thanksgiving is not a big moneymaker for retailers, so food is the main thing advertised, not toys and gifts. Retail stores haven't taken God out of Thanksgiving and neither has the government. It's any of us who casually speak of how thankful we are for a whole host of things, but fail to specify that we are thankful to God. It's an easy mentality to fall into, similar to crediting the rain to Mother Nature.

A year or two ago, a columnist in The Pilot wrote an article titled something like "Who are you thankful to?" It reminded me again not to be guilty of thanking good luck, lucky stars, or just saying the generic "I'm thankful."

I'm thankful to God, and I couldn't even begin to list all the many reasons here. Of course, I'm thankful for friends and family and what they mean to me, but Thanksgiving Day has a way of getting me to look at the big picture: how every moment of my life has been lovingly guarded and guided (yet not controlled) by my heavenly Father.

I often think of actor Jimmy Stewart in the Civil War movie Shenandoah. When blessing his family's meal he says something to the effect of: "Lord, we thank you for all this food and for our home. You know we raised every bit of it on our own and did all the work ourselves. . ."

I guess any of us lucky enough to still have jobs (or retirement income) feel like we pay for everything ourselves and that we earned all the accumulated material wealth that is ours. But it's a dangerous fallacy to think we've accomplished anything on our own. Just a little reflection might lead us to credit God, giver of all good things. Most of us can look back to a time we had less, our health was not so good, or times were even more uncertain. I hope that even with today's uncertainties, you can honestly say you are thankful to God. . . for whatever!

Look at the Pilgrims for an example. Arriving in a hostile New England winter because of delays, they were cutting wood on Christmas Day, 1620. Shortly afterward, adults began to fall sick, probably from the poor hygiene and nutrition on the Mayflower. There were days that only 2 or 3 adults were healthy enough to continue laboring on their shelters. The ship became more like a hospital ship. By spring, more than half of their original number had died, predominantly adults. The survivors could have returned to England, but persevered in their faith.

I learned just this week that 14 years earlier in 1606, another group of English settlers had attempted to start a colony for the Plymouth Company, near the Kennebec River in Maine. They returned to England in less than a year, finding the hardships too great to bear. And most of us have never heard of them.
But Governor William Bradford of the Pilgrims documented everything we know about the Pilgrims, the hardships they endured and the faith in God that brought them through it to a time of plenty in their second year.
Governor Bradford had words for us, even though not all of us are of English descent.

May not and ought not the children of these fathers say, "Our

fathers were Englishmen which came over this great ocean and were ready to perish in the wilderness but they cried unto the Lord and He heard their voice and looked on their adversity." Let them therefore praise the Lord.

Governor William Bradford

He's talking about US! Have a Happy Thanksgiving and think of all we have to thank the Lord for!

Fall Draws Us Back to Morrow Mountain

Now honestly, if my title hadn't given it away,

could you have assumed the beautiful scene

below was near the Blue Ridge Parkway or

Virginia's Shenandoah Valley?

But these scenes were viewed by Judy and

me in the Uwharrie Mountains just one hour

from our home in Moore County, NC.

Specifically, Morrow Mountain State Park,

a refuge we visit at least twice a year, and

sometimes more.  We feel very fortunate to

have such a nice state park close enough to

zip away for a half day, a picnic, or a full day

without an exhausting or expensive drive.

I was surprised to see this flower in bloom

in November.  I had seen it during the summer

with no blossoms, and wondered what it would

look like.  Now I know.

I was not surprised to see the array of fall

colors across the mostly hardwood canopy

of the heavily wooded mountains.

We agreed we'd never seen more

vivid colors in all our visits here.

We picnicked in the mountaintop picnic

area, then drove to the riverside for an

afternoon of hiking.

This is the all-new concession building,

replacing the old, out-dated one.  I imagine

this one will be ready to open by spring.

There were 2 or 3 fishermen on the dock,

but things were pretty quiet.  We're pretty

lucky at picking quiet days for our visits.

This view across the still waters shows where

three rivers, the Yadkin, the Pee Dee, and

 the Uwharrie converge to form Lake Tillery.

Even before we got started hiking, these

crimson sweetgum leaves caught my eye.

Likewise, these golden beeches.

Today we had chosen a portion of the

Fall Mountain trail that we had never

hiked before.  Overall, the trail was

designated as "moderate difficulty," but

I referred to a topographic map to limit

most of our walk to fairly easy terrain.

Our trail was marked by orange triangles.

On visits over the years, we have walked the following trails:

Laurel Trail

Mountain Loop Trail

Quarry Trail

Rocks Trail

Three Rivers Trail

In hopes that some readers may be

inspired to visit Morrow Mountain, I'm

sharing these four sections from the park's

brochure.  They are very informative about

park services, history, trails, and more.

Click on these to enlarge and learn more.

(If you right-click, you can open in a new

window to view in full detail)

Here are some shots from the Fall

Mountain Trail we hiked.  It was a

nice, sunny day, with no jackets needed.

Fallen leaves painted the landscape, but

there were plenty more still clinging to branches.

There's much along every trail to make

one wonder, "What happened here?"

Playing "Nature Detective" is a favorite

pastime of mine.

For a good portion of our walk we

followed this gently meandering stream,

easily crossing it from time to time.

I'm glad I noticed this colorful view

of Morrow Mountain before we departed.

You'll have to strain your eyes to see one

of the deer that we happened upon as we

were driving out of the park.  It's exactly

in the center and blends in nicely.

And in closing, here's a dark little corner

of woods where four more deer bounded

silently away as I observed.

But the photo above was not taken at

Morrow Mountain.  When we arrived

home that evening, there were four deer

in the field in our own backyard.  I circled

through the woods to follow them as they

eased away.  I glimpsed them through the

underbrush, but never got a clear chance

at a picture.  That didn't matter; I was just

happy to be reminded that we don't have to

leave home to see and appreciate what God

has lovingly surrounded us with.  We just

have to open our eyes.

Please let me know if you visit Morrow Mountain.

Evan is ONE _______ (You fill in the blank)

I would fill in the blank with:

• happy dude
• sweet boy
• YEAR OLD!
  
  Yes, he's all those things. And here are some pictures from his recent birthday party. Hope I'm invited to the next one.

Take a deep breath, Evan!

And now for the first official bite . . . .

"Bless this cake, and especially the icing."

Bri: "I think I'll tell Evan I'm his fairy godmother."

"So this is what they meant when they said

we'd get 'special event seating.'"

Birthday Boy and proud dad, Matt. 

Books are always good, even on a birthday.

Evan had a ball opening presents. 

Lots of 'em, actually.

No reason to spoil Hunter's day by

telling him everything  is Evan's.

Brianna puts a few miles on the hobby horse

just to break it in.  And the "oldsters" get our

kicks just watching the young 'uns have fun.

(Same picture, alternate caption)

"All those presents, and not one for us."

(Actually, there were presents for all)

"Grandma, will you teach me how to dunk?"

"Did somebody say Get Wild?"

"What do you mean

the party's over?"

Don't worry Ev-man.  Another party

next year.  See ya in Aberdeen!

Youthful Exuberance

As Claire was requesting old videos of

Brianna and herself in action today, I

realized I had a cute segment from July

that I hadn't posted yet.  This one is pretty

self-explanatory.  It all centers around

an indoor slide and a pair of two year-olds

who know how to have fun together.

It reminds me how much these girls have

changed in just four months.  Hope you smiled.

A Veterans Day Tribute: D-Day Heroes

This post is the culmination of

my Veterans Day tribute.  The

handsome veteran pictured below

is my father, Marvin Ellis Loyd.

At 97, he is one of the oldest living

veterans of World War II.

He was a flight chief in the famed

Orange Tails, a squadron of P-47

Thunderbolts.  He did not cross the

English Channel on D-Day, but was

in support of air assaults and cover

throughout that historic operation.

I've chosen to feature our National D-Day

Memorial now at Veterans Day rather than

on June 6, which is actually D-Day.  My

reason is the connection of the D-Day Memorial, 

Sharptop Mountain, and the town of Bedford, Va.

For more on the connection, be sure to read the

two preceding blogs.

This post card shows flags of the eleven

allied nations that banded together for

Operation Overlord, the largest invasion

force in history.

 

The following four photos are post cards

on sale at the memorial.

The next ten photos are uncaptioned, but

I took these on my first visit there.  Each

is moving to those who know the story of

D-Day.  Movies from The Longest Day to

Saving Private Ryan's have attempted to

portray the immense drama, danger, and

importance of the invasion, but it is unlikely

any of us who weren't there can ever fully

comprehend the urgency and scope of the

plan.  I won't even try to put it into words.

Obviously, I would recommend a visit to

the memorial at Bedford, Virginia.  The town

lost the highest percentage of its young men of

any town in America that fateful day.

If you can't go to Bedford, I suggest you seek

out those World War II veterans who still live

and ask for their story.  Have your children

listen and learn what they will not likely learn

in school.  Books and lectures can scarcely

approach the drama of those who lived WWII.

In my own classroom, and now in my home,

I maintain a "Patriot's Corner," honoring all

those who served, but first and foremost,

my father and his Orange Tail brothers.

I plan to share my father's legacy with

my grandchildren and visitors to our home

whenever I can.  A knowledge of history

certainly helps us understand our own purpose.

At my father's last Air Force reunion in

the fall of 2008, I provided music for one

of the squadron's banquets.  Neil Melton,

founder and owner of the Tennessee Aviation

Museum, came up to me to see if I'd like to

go up in a T-38 trainer plane, World War II

vintage.  Not likely to get an opportunity like

this again, I jumped at the chance.

Here I am with my father (center) and brother

(right) in front of the T-38.

There's a reason I look confident.

Neal at the wheel.  Or stick.

Just along for the ride, but what a ride!

We could see Knoxville, Pigeon Forge,

Sevierville, and Gatlinburg.  Plus a lot

of little things that looked like ants waving

at us from a runway far below.

This is a P-47 Thunderbolt, one of the

most durable of the World War II

fighter-bombers.  It was almost impossible

to shoot down even after multiple hits due

to its heavy armor and air-cooled 16 piston

engine.  It was often called "The Flying Jug."

Of course, I knew Neal couldn't take me

up in his own P-47, Hun Hunter.  It's a one-

seater.  But I'd be scared I'd break it, anyway.

This photo has four men who are very

special to me.  From left to right:

Marvin Loyd, my dad, WW II flight chief

Neal Melton, owner of the museum and his

own P-47, and a dear friend of all the vets

Bert Lok, one of daddy's crew chiefs and a

faithful friend for almost seven decades now

John Shoffner, another P-47 owner who flies

in for all the Orange Tail reunions and does

flyovers with Neal.

Our final banquet was in the large hangar.

John's "Wicked Wabbit" is behind us,

providing the atmosphere.  Left to right

are my wife Judy, me, sister Caryn,

Daddy, Mama, and brother Ellis ("Buddy").

And yes, if you're that observant, Daddy

can still wear his dress uniform jacket-- it's

the same one as in the very first picture in

this blog!

Here he is one more time, this time in

his work overalls.  Doing his little bit

to make the world safe for democracy.

My hero.

Do what you can to honor the

veterans in your own family or

among your circle of friends.

You'll be glad you did.