Faith, Folklore, and Friends

The Pilgrims made seven times more graves than huts. No Americans have been more impoverished than these who, nevertheless, set aside a day of thanksgiving.  -H.U. Westermayer

Make a joyful noise unto the  Lord , all ye lands. Serve the  Lord  with gladness: come  before his presence with singing. Know ye that the  Lord  he is God: it is  he  that hath made us, and not we  ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name. For the  Lord  is good; his mercy is  everlasting; and his truth endureth to  all generations. Psalm 100

Let the word of Christ dwell in you  richly, teaching and admonishing one  another in all wisdom, singing psalms  and hymns and spiritual songs, with  thankfulness in your hearts to God.   ~Colossians 3:16

Jennie Augusta Brownscome. The First Thanksgiving at Plymouth, 1914. Pilgrim Hall Museum, Plymouth, Massachusetts The Pilgrims made seven times more graves than huts. No Americans have been more impoverished than these who, nevertheless, set aside a day of thanksgiving. -H.U. Westermayer Our harvest being gotten in, our governor sent four men on fowling, that so we might after a special manner rejoice together after we had gathered the fruit of our labors. They four in one day killed as much fowl as, with a little help beside, served the company almost a week. At which time, among other recreations, we exercised our arms, many of the Indians coming amongst us, and among the rest their greatest king Massasoit, with some ninety men, whom for three days we entertained and feasted, and they went out and killed five deer, which they brought to the plantation and bestowed upon our governor, and upon the captain, and others. And although it be not always so plentiful as it was at this...

Oh come, let us sing to the  Lord ; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation! Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise! ~Psalm 95:1-2

Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name. For the  Lord  is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations. Psalm 100:4-5   KJV

There's no way you can make good corn bread dressing without sage. My mother never grew oregano, rosemary, or basil.  She didn't have clumps of chives or thyme.  But like most all the people we knew, she had sage growing in a garden corner.  You had to have sage to season  pork sausage and Thanksgiving dressing. This is what real sage looks like--not that powdery stuff that comes from the store.  This fresh sage is so pungent that a little goes a long way.  Two chopped leaves are plenty for a big pan of dressing.  It tastes so much better than the canned powder. This sage has been growing in a container by the garage for three years now.  We have had a hard freeze already, and it is fine.  It can be dried by picking the leaves off and storing them in a dry place, but I can see no reason to do that because it stays green all year here. I'll be happy to share a leaf with you if you want to try the real thing in your dressing to...

If you can't think of anything to be thankful for during this season of thanksgiving, think about corn bread. Corn bread is the oldest bread in the United States.  The Native Americans had been feasting on it for years before the colonists got off their boats.  Thanks to the generosity of the Native Americans, many colonists were kept from starving by this staple. Corn bread is the cornerstone of Southern cooking.  Because the early settlers could grow and grind their own corn, corn bread was served three times a day in many homes.  For breakfast, the hot corn bread was covered with butter and molasses.  For dinner and supper, it was served with meat and vegetables.  My mother would not have thought about setting the table without some corn bread. For Sunday supper, we had beans with ham and corn bread, with a little onion on the side.  It is Hub's favorite meal. He loves cooking bread in this skillet with wedges, because every piece ...

  O give thanks unto the  Lord ; for he is  good; for his mercy endureth for ever. ~1 Chronicles 16:34

Robert usually woke up perky. but today, he felt sort of jerky. Was he getting a cold? Did he breathe in bad mold? He suffers from overdose of turkey.

The Pilgrims made seven times more graves than huts. No Americans have been more impoverished than these who, nevertheless, set aside a day of thanksgiving. -H.U. Westermayer Our harvest being gotten in, our governor sent four men on fowling, that so we might after a special manner rejoice together after we had gathered the fruit of our labors. They four in one day killed as much fowl as, with a little help beside, served the company almost a week. At which time, among other recreations, we exercised our arms, many of the Indians coming amongst us, and among the rest their greatest king Massasoit, with some ninety men, whom for three days we entertained and feasted, and they went out and killed five deer, which they brought to the plantation and bestowed upon our governor, and upon the captain, and others. And although it be not always so plentiful as it was at this time with us, yet by the goodness of God, we are so far from want that we often wish you partakers of our plenty. ~Ed...

I heard and my heart pounded, my lips quivered at the sound; decay crept into my bones, and my legs trembled. Yet I will wait patiently for the day of calamity to come on the nation invading us. Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my Savior. The Sovereign LORD is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to tread on the heights. Habakkuk 3:16-19(NIV)

It is fall--time for harvest! Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few; Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest. Matthew 9:37-38 (KJV) Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. 2 Corinthians 9:10 (NIV) Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Galatians 6:9 (NIV)

"Oh, that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness, And for His wonderful works to the children of men! For He satisfies the longing soul, And fills the hungry soul with goodness." Psalm 107:8-9 Sometimes, boring is good. The heat and humidity in Alabama August is fierce...it can drive you back inside quickly if you get too adventuresome. We're not really lazy, we're just waiting for the cooler air of autumn before we do anything that requires moving or breathing. We miss our Sunday afternoon walks at the TVA reservation. I've always loved walking in the woods, but we live in the city. TVA provides wonderful walking trails, a wildflower garden that is almost always cool, and facilities with a water fountain. It is one of my favorite places. Walkers abound in our neighborhood, and after we're finished with our walk, I like to sit on the front porch with a book and wave at all the walkers as they come by. It's too hot to do that right now; there ar...

When we were children we were grateful to those who filled our stockings at Christmas time. Why are we not grateful to God for filling our stockings with legs? ~G.K. Chesterton 226. New friends 227. A car with everything working 228. Grandchildren wondering about gifts under the tree 229. The way the smell of oranges triggers Christmas memories 230. Rest for the weary 231. Hub bringing me coffee in bed 232. Apple cider 233. Laughing 234. Making new Christmas traditions 235. Remembering old Christmas traditions 236. Mountain music 237. Glasses 238. Handmade baskets 239. Pipes that never freeze 240. Goals met 241. New goals set 242. The beauty of silence 243. Caramel apples 244. Christmas mugs 245. Wrinkles with wisdom 246. Warm shelter 247. Flannel pajamas 248. Kitchen makeovers 249. Christmas cookies 250. Promises set in stone When my life was ebbing away, I remembered you, Lord, and my prayer rose to you, to your holy temple. Those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace tha...

Heroes can be "regular" people who enrich our lives just being who they are, knowing that others are on the journey with them, following the Word's command to love your neighbor. Amy, for her love of words and things that are true, the best hope for the next generation. hopeistheword.wordpress.com Laura, student assistant extraordinaire, who magically makes copies appear on my desk. Ann, whom I've never met in person, yet she blesses me every day. aholyexperience.com Danny Joe, who keeps his pockets full of candy to sweeten up the day. Super neighbors. Joyce, quiet but wise beyond measure. The staff at the post office. Ern and Lucy, in their eighties, who live life to the fullest, enjoying every step of it. Charlotte, who always does what she says she will do. Sonny and Dot, who feed me from iron pots of stew. Brenda W, beautiful and so strong. Mike, for years of music. ........to be continued ....the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodne...

Born to missionary parents living in China, Eric Liddell was sent to school in England at age six. At school, he excelled in all sports, and became known as the "fastest runner in Scotland." He attended the University of Edinburgh, with his brother Rob, in 1921. Again, he excelled at running and other sports. His numerous awards sent him to 1924 Olympics held in Paris. Liddell was a committed Christian. The 100 meters race, his best event, was being run on Sunday, the day he worshipped, and he refused to run. He felt he had no choice but to withdraw from that competition. Liddell had seen the schedule months earlier, and began training for the 400 meter race. Eric Liddell ran the 400 meter race with a slip of paper in his hand that read, "Those who honor me I will honor. 1 Samuel 2:30". He not only won the race, but broke the existing world record for that event. Eric Henry Liddell ran for God. Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your he...

My hub hates spiders. He has never made it all the way through the movie "Arachnophobia". Occasionally, I will have to get a spider out of the bathtub, temporarily reversing our roles. Spiders really don't scare me, although I was bitten by a brown recluse many years ago. They are just spiders. They have their place in the world, just like we do. From National Geographic News , Christine Dell'Amore, October 21, 2009: Part of a well-known group of golden orb-weaver spiders—which can spin webs up to three feet (one meter) wide—Nephila komaci was first identified in a South African museum collection in 2000. N. komaci is likely rare within its small habitats in South Africa and Madagascar, researchers say, and females are much less common than males. Much is still unknown about the species' biology, but study co-author and spider expert Jonathan Coddington suspects the female evolved her extreme size to thwart smaller predators and to be able to lay more eggs. In add...

Let us have faith that right makes might; and, let us to the end dare to do our duty. -- Abraham Lincoln From his humble beginning, Lincoln was taught to do what is right. He knew how to work. He learned there was honor in working, providing for family. He was a tall, strong man. He worked with an axe, wrestled for fun. He buried three sons before they were men. Lincoln struggled with deep depression, yet he was known to tell stories and jokes to entertain others. Lincoln saw that people were oppressed by the greed of others, and set out to make it right. He dared to do his duty. He dared to incur man's wrath to experience God's pleasure. Abraham Lincoln walked with angels. So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, "We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty. Luke 17:10

She had beautiful feet. Her lot in life was simple. She embraced it, gave it all she had. A farm wife who never had a real "job", who never earned any money of her own. Her house was unadorned, basic furnishing made by her man. Her floors, always clean, were covered with the cheap linoleum that drummers brought once a year. Her house was filled with laughter, comfort. One always felt welcome entering there, gratified. Ratty-haired little children who came to her house were offered kindness and gentleness, something they rarely saw. She told them about the Lord, that He loved them, that they were important to Him. Some of the seeds she sowed fell away, were lost. Others struggled with the knowledge. Some fell in love with the Lord and served Him with all their heart, reproducing from the seed she had sown many years before. No make-up, her gray hair always in a bun, a tad overweight. She would not have been picked out of the crowd for her physical beauty. As she aged, her legs...