GIVE THANKS!!

THANKSGIVING PROCLAMATION

"Now therefore, I do recommend and assign Thursday, the 26th day of November next, to be devoted by the people of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being who is the beneficent author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be; that we may then all unite in rendering Him our sincere and humble thanks for His kind care and protection of the people of this country ...."

(Note: the entire Thanksgiving Proclamation can be viewed at the Library of Congress website: www:http://www.facebook.com/l/3939e;loc.gov)

Oh, give thanks to the LORD! Call upon His name;
Make known His deeds among the peoples!
Sing to Him, sing psalms to Him;
Talk of all His wondrous works!
Glory in His holy name;
Let the hearts of those rejoice who
seek the Lord!
Seek the LORD and His strength;
Seek His face evermore!
Remember His marvelous works

which He has done...

Sing to the LORD, all the earth;
Proclaim the good news of His
salvation from day to day.
Declare His glory among the nations,
His wonders among all peoples.

For the LORD is great and
greatly to be praised;
He is also to be feared above all gods.
For all the gods of the people are idols,
But the LORD made the heavens.
Honor and majesty are before Him,
Strength and gladness are in His place.

...Give to the LORD the glory due
His name;...
Oh, worship the LORD in the
beauty of holiness!...

Let the heavens rejoice, and let the
earth be glad;
And let them say among the nations,
"The LORD reigns."
Let the sea roar, and all its fullness;
Let the field rejoice, and all that is in it.
Then the trees of the woods shall
rejoice before the LORD...

Oh, give thanks to the LORD,
for He is good!
For His mercy endures forever...
Blessed be the LORD God of Israel
From everlasting to everlasting!

And all the people said, "Amen!"

and praised the LORD.

1 Chronicles 16:8-36

Little Aching Heart

Yesterday we drove our dear friends and neighbors, the Hulse family, to the airport. This is not the first trip Phoebe has made to the airport to drop off friends that would likely not return to Hawaii anytime in the near future.

This place is quite transient. We meet lots of vacationers that we would possibly hit it off with...if only they weren't leaving the next morning. And we have said more goodbyes in the last couple years than ever before. With people coming to Hawaii for short-term jobs and military assignments, this is part of life here.

Just the same, my heart broke a little for my dear, sweet Phoebe. This time, it really hurt. Having known Gwyn since she was 10 months old, she has been sad over this loss since I first mentioned that she was moving. Phoebe has had more than one of her "best-good-friends" move away. Up til now, it has phased her a little... But now she is older. She is growing up and her little heart grows attached.

Phoebe cried on the way home from the airport yesterday. And she expressed, over and over, her sorrow over not being able to play with Gwyn, that she wanted them to stay, that she wanted to play with her every day, and in her own sad (and dramatic) words said, "I only have one really friend left."

Sadly, she's right. Well, maybe two. Yes, she has two. My little social butterfly. Relationships are important. And maybe my heart ached for her because I too, have known that loss. Haven't we all? This is not an easy thing, saying goodbye. It never gets easier.

No, we don't like goodbyes. We have met some wonderful people here in Hawaii. Many are no longer here. But we feel blessed to have shared a little bit of our lives with them, and to continue in our friendship from a far.

We will miss you Rob, Laura, Gwynneth, Victor, and little tiny baby in the belly!

The Simple Truth I'm Clinging to Today...

There's no dirty laundry in heaven.

Can I get an Amen?!

A Few Kinks

I hate ironing. Okay, hate is a strong word. I don't enjoy ironing. I don't know anyone who actually enjoys ironing. I have clothes in my closet that don't see the light of day for months at a time because of my lack of enthusiasm toward this chore.

I often wonder if my aversion to ironing is that it is simply such a bother, or that I did several months worth of ironing as a punishment, or rather I should say, a "payment" for a few speeding tickets I acquired my senior year in high school. Man, I remember just slaving away, ironing piece after piece until my debt had finally been payed.

So I iron when I feel that I must. Or I use a little steamer...still feels like ironing to me. Of course, there is the wonderful invention of "wrinkle-free" clothing. I have this jersey-knit dress that I just love. I can sit in the car for an hour and come out looking perfectly smooth. And then, there's linen. Everybody likes linen. It is soft and casual, and it looks great in the store. But you get it home and it's a mess! You try desperately to smooth it all out, but you just create more and more kinks in the process.

It would be nice if life was jersey-knit. May I have just one wrinkle-free day please?

I've come awfully close, but there is always something. An unattainable parking spot, a glob of goup on a favorite shirt. Quite often it just comes down to my attitude. Sometimes, I am the wrinkle in my day. Call it what you want. I've gotten up on the wrong side of the bed? I need an "attitude adjustment"? I've got the grumpers and I just can't seem to shake 'em. I'm creating more and more kinks as the day progresses. Oddly, what seems like a deep crevice today, may be but a mere dimple tomorrow. Life is funny that way.

A few years ago, we were getting together with some dear friends. We arrived at their home and my girlfriend was in kind of a last-minute scramble to pick a new outfit for the evening. You see, she had asked her dear husband to iron the casual pants she'd picked out. Being the wonderful husband that he is, he did an outstanding job...only, he added sharp creases when they had not been required! She and I got a good laugh.

Have you ever had times when you're walking around with a crease that doesn't belong? It seems impossible to smooth it away? Life has wrinkles. Sometimes we're not presentable in our current state. Sometimes we be need to be pressed.

I suppose if life were jersey, it might not be as exciting afterall. Sure, kids would be well-mannered, houses would always be spotless, and there would never, ever be traffic.

But there would be no lessons learned. No growth. No need or quest for faith.

I am so thankful to have a God who smooths out the wrinkles in my life. Who is strong when I am oh so weak. Who is faithful when I am faithless. Who gives hope to hopeless, joy to the sorrowful...

And laughter to the grumpy!