Hope

A day late, but I decided to put it up anyway. Yesterday was the first Sunday of Advent and the theme for this week is Hope-something we all need.

Friday

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving full of family, football and food! In fact, I was so busy cooking, eating, visiting and enjoying, that I forgot to take any pictures! But I'll have the memories and they are good ones!

I've always maintained that the Friday after Thanksgiving is my day to goof off and that's just what I did. Everyone but our son and his two boys have gone home and we have enjoyed just vegging and doing what we pleased. I've always hated the concept of "Black Friday" and have never gone out and shopped on that morning. There's nothing I want to buy so badly at any price that I would do that to myself! We did go out and have burgers and fries for lunch just to have something different, but we'll work on the left overs tonight. We have ham, turkey, dressing, sweet potatoes and the other traditional sides that need to be eaten. We always fix too much, but I send food home with our guests. Our fridge is still packed though!

Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving and has a great weekend. A little breathing space before we break out the Christmas music!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Finally Fall!

We have finally had some real fall weather. This is the first day it's been in the 50's all day long and we have 30's predicted for tonight. Our weather has been in the 80's lately and it's almost Thanksgiving! Seems like temperatures have been above average for a lot of the country. Our leaves are finally turning too. My husband made this glider for me and we are really enjoying some front porch sitting! I'm so proud of it and of him for making it! The paint color was supposed to be a much darker red, but I think I like it like this. The motion is almost like a rocking chair.

We'll be having 14 for Thanksgiving next Thursday. Our daughter and son-in-law are fixing the turkey and I'm fixing a ham. Other sides are being contributed by our son and daughter-in-law, my brother and our son-in-law's mom. Of course all 5 grandkids will be here, ranging in age from 10 years to 23 months. I'm getting excited!

One Last Rant...

...and I promise I'm done.

I would hazard a guess-and I hope I'm wrong, that no one is taught the poem " In Flanders Fields" in U.S. schools today. It was written by a military doctor serving during the first world war. Today was originally Armistice Day-celebrating the signing of the treaties that would end WWI.
There are no more veterans left from WWI, and before many more years pass, there will be no living veterans of WWII. The feelings of my generation run particularly deep for these men and women who gave up everything over 70 years ago to leave their homes and fight to keep our country free from an evil that threatened our very existence. They are and were our parents. Make no mistake. Had Hitler, Mussolini, Hirohito and the Axis armies won WWII, as they very well could have, there would be no elections or protests allowed in this country. There would have been mass extinction of many people as there was in the Jewish Holocaust in Europe.
I think it's difficult for our children and grandchildren to truly comprehend this. But my generation was raised by this greatest generation who gave up everything to make sure it didn't happen and they impressed that on us as we grew up. We didn't always listen, but now as we grow older, we understand.
I know a lot of people are unhappy today. I understand they are grieving the loss of an ideal and a dream, and ask us to give them time to grieve. I get that they are fearful for the future of our country and are truly afraid of the man who will be our president. I've been there several times. But life does goes on and today is a day that we honor those who have served (and still serve) their country whether they agreed with their commander in chief or not. Because it was the right thing to do. Today we need to put ourselves aside and give thanks not just to these people, but to the God who gave them the hearts to serve.

Thankful

I've been searching for the right words to say here today after reading some of the blogs out there and I hope I don't offend anyone-that's certainly not my intent.

I try not to be too political on my blog, or to criticize the decisions others make in other countries.  But, I've read things this morning that have hurt and disappointed me. I realize that these are our blogs and we are all free to say what we think. (Otherwise I wouldn't be writing this.) Wherever you live or whatever you think of the election results in the United States, ridicule and name calling change nothing and achieve nothing. Our country has made a momentous decision just as other countries have made this year. Some of us are pleased with the results, some of us are not. We here in the U.S. have to live with the decisions we make just as others have had to do in their own countries. We are a broken and divided country right now. We have said and done terrible things to each other because of this election and we are hurting on both sides. It's hard to read the same kind of negativity towards us from those who live in other places.

We will never all agree with each other or the decisions we see each other make.  We're all entitled to our opinion and free in how we express it. But, a little kindness and understanding go a long way toward making this little planet we all live on together a better place. I hope this makes some kind of sense,

Thanks.

Today's the Day

Ready...

...so very ready for Tuesday to be over, whoever wins. I have voted, I know who I want to win. I want to be at peace with whatever happens Tuesday and I'm praying for that as well as for our country's good.