Thankful in the Storm
As a kid growing up in Ohio, I really loved the summer and fall seasons of the year. Once summer shifted into fall, there was this mental countdown that started in my head about how much longer did we have until fall changed to winter. I wanted that day to be put off as far as possible because that meant winter would not be as long. I have talked with others about this, and they agree with me and go through a similar mental routine. When I thought about moving, I initially was thinking about moving to Florida, but I thought I would miss the change of seasons. With that thought in mind, I moved to Georgia about 40 years ago now. We do get to experience all four seasons every year and winter is not as long or as cold and definitely not snowy. We pay for it in the summer months, but I guess I would rather be hot than cold.
Hey Mark, what’s with the weather report? Glad you asked…
I am no meteorologist, but every year there seems to be a day that occurs that brings fall to an unofficial end and “welcomes” winter in. The day is usually rainy and gray, overcast, windy and a good day to eat chili and watch football all day. This year that day for me was yesterday. I mentally groaned because I knew what it was and I’m not thrilled about it being dark at 4:30 and cold (by the way, cold now means anything below 45 degrees). This stormy day typically is the one that blows all the beautiful colors off of the trees and leaves us nothing but branches and a few leaves that have decided to not give up and fight to the end (I love those guys!). This tipping point day usually is right around the start of the Thanksgiving holiday as well. The holiday season can be tricky for me in a good year and the weather change to “mostly crappy for four months” doesn’t help my disposition for sure. I remember as a kid watching THE GAME (Ohio State vs. that team up north) and it was seldom a good weather day. I remember thinking that it had just been great a few weeks ago.
One time a handful of years ago I was back in Akron to visit family for Thanksgiving, and I actually saw this storm happen right in front of my eyes in the old neighborhood in Ellet. There is a street called High Grove Avenue near my parent’s home that has blocks and blocks of red maple trees lining the street on both sides of the two-lane road. For the first few days I purposely drove down the street when I was out just to see how great it looked. On the third day, I was driving by, and this storm kicked up and within in an hour or so, the leaves were history. Just like that. I remember mumbling to myself that winter had arrived and started thinking about heading back south. The “Gray Funk” was here to stay.
This will be the third holiday season for me since Michelle passed and to be honest I can already feel like it is going to be a struggle. It does seem to be less of a struggle that the previous two years but nonetheless, my personal gray funk has hit as well. I’ve had a minute or a thousand to think about things lately and one of the things I am proud of is that I am still able to be Thankful in the Storm and I want to share a little bit of that with you today.
But First…A Joke!
A father and son are playing golf together. The young man hits his tee shot, and it lands about 20 yards in front of a large pine tree blocking the green. He asks for advice on how to play the shot.
“You know, son,” says his dad, “When I was your age, I’d hit that ball right over that tree.”
So the young man grits his teeth and digs in, swings as hard as he can, and smacks the ball right into the tree. It ricochets back and lands right in front of the two golfers. He quickly turns and looks at his dad.
Dad looks him straight in the eye, “Of course, when I was your age, that tree was only about ten feet tall.”
A Verse to Contemplate:
“So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness” (Colossians 2:6-7).
Have I Told You This One?
What is it about Thanksgiving that makes me think of home? For me it is the best "family" holiday of the year. As a kid, I remember waking up in our small house on Stevenson Avenue in Akron and as the morning mist cleared and I realized what day it was and smelling all of Mom's delicious food being prepared was just the best! I can remember that the house was always warm because the stove and all the burners were being used. The doors were open to cool it down some leaving the screen doors with a foggy condensation which allowed me to draw turkeys and footballs and other extremely tasteful renderings. As the guests started to show up the noise level went way up. We had a ton of family stuffed in our little house talking, laughing, singing and having a great time. We would rotate between our house and my uncle’s houses, and it just felt REALLY good to see everyone.
When I hit my mid-teen years, we started having our own dinner with just the family and maybe a grandmother. The Thanksgiving newspaper used to be a real thick one and Mom and Dad would be reading it and discussing the different events going on. The Beacon Journal used to list all the All-City teams and would have the pictures of all the players which I loved. The City Series Championship used to be played on Thanksgiving and we would go to the Rubber Bowl and watch before coming back to eat.
When I moved away to Georgia, I really missed the holidays back home in Ohio, especially Thanksgiving. I was very blessed that Michelle always put together a great Thanksgiving for us and then for our family as it grew over the years. It really was something amazing. She was a GREAT cook and she put together a feast. She made sure to have all of my favorites: cherry pie, oyster dressing, turkey AND ham, a thousand sides and a ton of people. When we first moved to Atlanta we didn’t know as many people. We would invite others that were in Atlanta alone like us. I really liked those days. After we started our family and the family grew to include sons-in-law and friends, the amount of work it took to put things together was massive. It felt to me like we had successfully duplicated our holiday from the “old days.” I knew then it was a ton of work and effort but since she has been gone, I truly understand how great she was at putting everything together. I REALLY miss that and her.
Over the past two years plus I have thought a lot about what I'm missing but I'm trying to focus on all the blessings I have and the tremendous number of things I have to be thankful for. I catch myself from time to time feeling sorry for myself and wondering why certain things have or have not happened the way I would have preferred them to or why life took some turns that make no sense to me. Typically, when I start to feel that way, I come across someone who has it much worse than me or is battling something that I have been so fortunate to never have had to go through. I don’t have any idea what others are going through, good or otherwise. I can’t see from beginning to end like God does. I only see the brief time in front of me that he has blessed me with. I try to understand His plan, but I typically have no clue to what He is up to and frankly, He hasn’t asked my opinion. Life just “IS”. My goal is to be thankful and find joy in everything as Scripture says. Man, I really stink at that but I’m trying very hard to glorify Him in all that I do. He is amazingly loving and caring toward me. I do not ever deserve what he blesses me with and should be very thankful. This world can be and is a cold tough place. I can’t imagine doing it on my own. I’m thankful I do not have to.
I think the correct response to waking up each day is not to wonder why things didn’t go this way or that way but, "Why did you give me all that you have given me in the first place?” To have had 45 years with my gift is far beyond my deserving. Michelle told me and many others, our family, our children, our lives are not our possessions but are gifts from the Almighty and are to be held with open hands. Only He knows how it will all turn out. For a control freak like me, that is not a great thought but doesn’t make it any less true.
It is good to give thanks to the Lord, to sing praises to your name, O Most High; to declare your steadfast love in the morning, and your faithfulness by night. Psalm 92:1-2
Today, I invite you to give thanks to the Lord for his steadfast love in your life. First, take time to give thanks for the people God has placed in your life that have been for you constant sources of grace, love, hope and joy: family, friends, mentors, coaches. The list could go on and on. You are who you are today because other people selflessly invested in you and prayed for you, celebrated life’s joys and wept with you in life’s great sorrows.
Secondly, let this heart of gratitude for others serve as an invitation for you to go and do the same. Having received from others, how can you now become a source of life and hope for someone else? Who has God placed in your life that is in need of the same self-giving love that you have received? We overflow with love and thanksgiving toward God when we love others just as we have been loved, may it be true of us today and every day! Thank you to all of my family and friends who have walked with us. Know that it means a great deal and that I'm very thankful. Tell your people you love ‘em and give an extra-long hug. You never know what lies ahead in this random world we live in
Happy Thanksgiving! Take time to reflect on the mountain of things we have to be thankful for, except for that school up north......GO BUCKS!
Prayer: Father, we give thanks for your goodness and faithfulness to us, asking that we would freely love others just as you have loved us. Amen.
Book Recommendation:
Out of the Pocket (Football, Fatherhood, and College Game Day Saturdays) by Kirk Herbstreit with Gene Wojciechowski (2021)
Music Recommendation:
Awake by Dream Theater (1994)