Our Words are Blossoms

THE ADDED BLESSINGS

Heavenly Father, we come today with a big thank-you.
We’ve found You give us what we need,
     plus a little extra.
We received our daily bread,
     and there was jelly too.
The turkey came with dressing.
And ice cream with our pie.
But our thank-yous aren’t just for food.
You’ve blessed our lives in every way.

Thank you for our families – the children,
     grandchildren and great-grandchildren given us.
You’ve blessed us with good friends;
     like desserts, they make our days tastier.
We see Your Giving Hand wherever we look.
Daily You display Your beautiful creation,
     with flowers that bloom throughout the year,
and we enjoy the sweet music of bird songs
     and children’s laughter
     to drown out the noises of our world.

Thank you for another day, another month, another year.
You are the One who gives us breath, and keeps our
     hearts beating.
But the greatest gift of all is knowing that You love us.
     Your eyes watch over us both night and day.

Today my stomach is satisfied with good food.
     My heart is full of thanksgiving.
          What can I say?
          My cup o’erflows.
          I am content.
And should I try for years without end,
I never could thank You for all of Your blessings.
                    by Doris Stensland in Our Words are Blossoms

THE ORIGINAL THANKSGIVING
If I had visited the Pilgrims that first Thanksgiving Day,
I can only imagine how inspired I’d have been
     to hear these people pray.
These Pilgrims set aside a day to thank the Lord above
     for being with them, blessing them with harvest and His love.
These Pilgrims had trusting hearts, and they were generous too.
They shared their feast with their neighbors – an Indian tribe or two.
There were no racist problems here. They treated them as friends.

That day the Pilgrims’ lights did shine as their “thank” givings
     did ascend.
The Indians watched the Pilgrims celebrate and they perhaps were
     heard to state,
“This God they are worshiping. He really must be great.”
Now on our Thanksgiving Day as we sit to eat we’re told,
     “Keep the prayer short …or the turkey will get cold!”
If Governor Bradford, that old Pilgrim, had stopped at our
     houses today,
     he’d most likely have had this to say….
“My friends, here I don’t recognize our Special Thanksgiving Day.
     From what I’ve seen and found . . .
     you folks have things turned around.
Today you seem to have forgotten an important part –
     Thanksgiving is not about a “full stomach,”
     but a “thankful-to-God heart”.
              by Doris Stensland in Our Words are Blossoms

IF BIRDS COULD TALK
The robin on the lawn
was a handsome bird.
So self-assured.

With a characteristic hop,
he bent to grab an insect from the grass.
Then paused and stood erect,
a stately form in his formal best,
his dark tuxedo with the rust-colored vest.

This confident bird a message sent,
“You can see that I’m content.
God made me a robin;
I’m His design.
And a happier robin you’ll never find.”

“But you humans, I hear you grumble a lot,
always complaining about what you’re not.
Not satisfied with who you are,
forgetting you’re God’s crowning glory by far.
So hold your head high,
you’re His special creation,
with even a close “Father-child” relation.
And the fact that He loves you, what joy that should bring,
what daily contentment and worshiping.”
         By Doris Stensland