Presidents Message Dec 2014                                                    2014-5

OK, I admit it!  I normally celebrate Thanksgiving; then I forget it. We actually celebrated last Friday, instead of Thursday like most people do. We have to accommodate two other in-law families of our two daughters and sometimes we win and sometimes we lose for that day of celebration.

Back to the forgetting bit!  It, Thanksgiving, is somewhat like Christmas.  We lead up to the celebration day with all kinds of thoughts of food, cleaning the house, getting other things ready, and waiting for everyone to arrive.

Once family get here, we sit around and talk, watch the grandchildren play, feed the fireplace and get comfortable in many ways. Of course, on Christmas we open gifts and ooh and ahh about what we exchange and perhaps play with some of the children’s toys. The day stretches out and starts to quiet down; the hoopla is over and then the next day.

BOOM! It is all over; until next year. So, Thanksgiving is somewhat the same. Once here it is celebrated and then we go on with our lives.

I don’t want to dwell on it, but do want to share with you thoughts I had this year.

Yes, we sat down at the table to eat the wonderful smelling turkey and all the trimmings.  My eldest daughter said she wanted to say grace. She started with the somewhat normal thanks for the food and at somewhat the end, thanked God for her Dad and his being alive. I was surprised at first and then realized that a year ago I was in Intensive Care at the hospital and my mind was in la-la land.

We tend to forget sometimes, but this simple act of grace made me look back and, to a degree, remember what happened (or told to me what happened).

The presence of the Holy Spirit was with me and those around me. I felt Him with me and in that feeling, my mind did not forget about Thanksgiving and what we are thankful for then. I thought of my loved ones and their concern. I thought of my church family and friends, and their prayers for me and I cried inside.

I freely admit I am on a Spiritual Journey and it means so much to me. My Pastor and Pastor Paul have helped me to experience a deep relationship with our God and I am so thankful for their guidance and help in this. I look at those I know and see God in their eyes and that makes me also so very gracious in the knowing.

We only have one chance to live here on Earth and then, the opportunity to live forever with God and those that have gone before us. It is with deep satisfaction in sharing my life now with you and enjoying God’s presence with me always.  I am eternally grateful and thankful.

Peace,

Dennis Betts