Sabbath Messages > Sabbath Message: Nov. 27, 2004
Good Sabbath
November 27, 2004 "Sing unto the Lord with Thanksgiving,He covers the heaven with clouds,
He prepares rain for the Earth, He makes grass to grow on the hills."
Psalm 147
"God has two dwellings; one in heaven and the other in a thankful heart." (Izaak Walton)
My Beloved and I spent the Thanksgiving week in Boulder with two Grandchildren, busy-as-a-bee daughter and lovely son-in-law. We came prepared for a Colorado late-Autumn, with boots and heavy whatever and were thankful to find spring-like accommodation, the faithful significant Maggie (dog), and rabbits and every kind of bird fed by humans with organic spirits of kindness and appreciation, for life as Nature meant it to be. The highways, of course, were filled with modernity, I.e. cars of every kind, racing everywhere, but not in the same league as L.A. (so far) (thank God).
We shopped, took early morning walks, bundled up against the chilly morning wind that blew our hoods off, but cuddled with love against the best that Mother Nature could throw at us. "Downtown" Boulder is a university town, and Pearl Street is just that, a pearl of a Main Street ambiance, with street entertainers, elves patrolling for Santa handing out candy canes, every type of arts and craft store, an incomparable book store where wandering and exploring are welcomed, a one-of-a-kind hardware store that is a main street rolled into one friendly place, with one marvelous proprietor, Dave, still as youthful and proud of his place and his customers--a pleasure in modern times.
Warmth is sometimes from the sun but more appropriately, from humans who wish each other well and who add to each others' fun and happiness. We explore faces,watching young families walking their babies, dressing them in fun-hats and ear muffs, listening to an occasional street caroler carry the tunes of yesterdays.
Thanksgiving is to remember to express appreciation for all of God's mysteries sprinkled among His blessings:
Thank You, dear God, for travel and exploration,
So that Autumn is enjoyed and appreciated,
A changed tree that we can see among all the hidden treasures
As Southern California and Colorado values mix in my soul
And it soars, like an eagle
Way up, up, up towards imagined Heavens
Envying what birds can do with wings
And we can do better with imaginations
(Another of God's many gifts)
And thank you for Loren and Drew
And Debbi and Mark John
(of course our Oregonians, Steve, Linda,
Robbie and Kelly)
Shopping malls give exercise to feet and freedom to credit cards as we struggle to read the minds of the kids while we shop for hints so that we can celebrate by sharing with the poor and with the loved ones.
Toys are as modern as appliances and cars, more technological. Our young 9 year old grandson reads incessantly of ancient days and enchantment fueling his imagination through which he hones his reading skills; our 12 year old granddaughter sits at her computer that springs to life as she goes from games to real stuff that dazzles oldsters like us.
Our son-in-law, Mark John, goes through all my new acquisitions, a watch, a phone, a talking odometer, making them come to life beyond the skills of this old guy. All too quickly the days pass, the food appreciated, the industriousness of daughter Debbi cooking organic treasures and the South Beach diet, trying to make our brief stay perfect, with siblings in normal small quarrels as they struggle for the next stages of growing up.
I look at the beauty of 12-year old granddaughter and imagine that she'll be fighting off lads in a couple of years, and grandson--a mixture of mischief and smartness--buried in books and what's next to eat--defying the laws of physics in all that can be put away in a 9-year old growing boy. I remember Fran's brother, Herb, who could eat his weight in any thing, plus two desserts, every meal, and not gain an ounce.
I hope that your Thanksgiving was filled not just filling; filled with the joy of family and memory, of transforming back to your own growing up, remembering those parents who had joined God in heaven, and warriors in Iraq who protect our freedoms and politicians' foolishness. Liberty is not just being free, but also the responsibility of leaving God's gifts for a coming generation before it is spoiled by greed and holier-than-though pretensions. God is simplicity enjoyed, simplicity comprehended, complexity reduced to bite-size living, plus imagination as to life's possibilities.
I leave you as the young look forward to December gift-sharing, gorgeous music, and the real blessings that surround us, no matter in which state you live. And as my loving book :"How to Make Your Spirit Soar" gets ready for another printing, I wish you the happiness and fulfillment our love and devotion have brought Fran and me.
Hold love in your heart this Sabbath.
sandy
