thanksgiving

Abraham Lincoln and Thanksgiving

Dave Sterrett — Fri, 25 Nov 2011 18:12:39 -0800

I want to wish you a Happy Thanksgiving. Maybe this year, you haven’t made as money as you would like. With our economy, many people have had a tough time, but I want to encourage you during this Thanksgiving season. Maybe like me, you have wished at times, that things were a little different here in America. Nevertheless, I still believe we still live in the greatest nation in the world. You and I have a lot to be thankful for. We still have a great opportunity to go out and be innovated and make money. We still have the rights to own property and make decisions and pursue education. We still have the freedom to worship through the religion we choose.

As we celebrate Thanksgiving, I want to invite you to think about the words of Abraham Lincoln. Hundreds of thousands of Americans had died during a horrible civil war, but he encouraged the American people to set apart a day to be thankful. Here’s what he wrote in proclaiming a day of thanks:

The year that is drawing towards its close, has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come, others have been added, which are of so extraordinary a nature, that they cannot fail to penetrate and soften even the heart which is habitually insensible to the ever watchful providence of Almighty God. In the midst of a civil war of unequaled magnitude and severity, which has sometimes seemed to foreign States to invite and to provoke their aggression, peace has been preserved with all nations, order has been maintained, the laws have been respected and obeyed, and harmony has prevailed everywhere except in the theatre of military conflict. No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy. It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently and gratefully acknowledged as with one heart and one voice by the whole American People. I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens. And I recommend to them that while offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him for such singular deliverances and blessings.

Food, Thanksgiving, Shabbat

Brett McCracken — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 10:01:09 -0800

A major biblical theme as it relates to food is thanksgiving for God’s provision. One of the most interesting food-related stories in Scripture is the miraculous appearance of manna each morning for the Israelites as they wandered in the wilderness (Exodus 16:4). That they gathered only enough for one day on each morning demonstrated the extent to which they had to trust and depend on God’s faithfulness. For them, the manna was a very tangible, honey-tasting reminder of why eating food is an act of thanksgiving.

Frequently in scripture, thanksgiving manifests itself through celebration and feasting on food. In the Old Testament, meals were often events that symbolized the ratifying of an agreement. After Isaac and Abimelech made a covenant of peace, Isaac “made them a feast, and they ate and drank” (Gen. 26:30). Similar feasts happened after Jacob and his father-in-law made an agreement of peace (Gen 31:54), or when David and Abner patched things up at Hebron (2 Sam 3:20).

For the Israelites, feasting together on food was the central act of public, communal thanksgiving for God’s provision. In the Jewish calendar, a cycle of seven annual feasts celebrated food and the blessings of God.

“The covenant requires human response to God’s initiatives of created goodness and blessing,” writes L. Shannon Jung in Food For Life. “Understanding food as created good, a blessing, and a gift from God leads to a central aspect of human response: appreciation. In response to Yahweh’s gift, the creatures are to enjoy that gift; they are to celebrate, feast, and party.”

I was recently invited to attend a Friday night Shabbat dinner with a small community of twentysomething Messianic Jews in Los Angeles. Enticed by the promise of plenty of good food — fish tacos, margaritas and cake were on the menu — and the opportunity to get to know more about the culture of Jesus-believing Jews, I happily accepted the invitation. It was a beautiful experience. As the kick-off service of the day of rest (for Jews, beginning at sunset on Friday night), the Shabbat dinner was a rich, sacred, long meal full of prayers, songs, scripture reading, laughing, and plenty of “L’chai-im!” toasts.

Though I was a “goy” guest in this intimate gathering, I didn’t feel like an outsider. We were all believers, and we joined together in the breaking of bread, the drinking of wine, and the joyful consuming of fish tacos and a table full of other delicious things. Some of those in attendance had read Hipster Christianity, so we talked about that, and we talked about Israel and Palestine, and the Jesus people, shofars and worship flags, even Rob Bell and the Love Wins controversy (still a topic of discussion even among this group of a dozen or so Messianic Jews). The whole evening actually reminded me a Rob Bell quote from Velvet Elvis on “the art of the long meal”:

“As Christians, it is our duty to master the art of the long meal…. What was the ritual the first Christians observed with the most frequency? Exactly. The common meal, also called the Eucharist or the Lord’s Supper. And what did this meal consist of? Hours of talking and sharing and enjoying each other’s presence. Food is the basis of life, it comes from the earth, and the earth is God’s. In a Jewish home in Jesus’ day – and even now – the table is seen as an altar. It’s holy. Time spent around the table with each other is time spent with God.”

The Shabbat dinner experience was a great reminder to me of the sacredness of the dinner table and its knack for bringing together people of diverse classes, ethnicities and cultures who together break bread in fellowship, celebration and thanksgiving for the bounty of God’s provision for us.

L. Shannon Jung argues in Food for Life that the Biblical themes of eating coalesce around two poles: “the pole of enjoyment, providence, goodness, delighting,” and “the pole of hospitality, justice, mission, sharing.”

Indeed, if we look at the instances/themes of food in the Bible, these two broad themes do come up again and again. There’s a vertical component to how we should eat — as an act of gratitude to God and worship of Him — but there is also a horizontal component: eating in community, missionally, with hospitality. Both the vertical and horizontal were in wonderful harmony at the Shabbat dinner I attended, and it offered me a picture of just how meaningful, rich and transformative food can be in the context of our faith.

This Thanksgiving, as we feast on good food, among family and friends, let’s remember that food connects us both vertically and horizontally: With God, the provider of all things, and with our fellow man, with whom we share in the goodness and bounty of God’s provision.

I Am Thankful For....

Carrie Nye — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 22:06:47 -0700

It’s the season of giving thanks.

A couple years back, some friends of mine began what is now called The Thanksgiving Challenge. Beginning November 1^st, we use our Facebook status to give thanks for something or someone or anything we are thankful for. We’ll do this everyday throughout the month.

Here are a few reasons why I think it’s a good thing to be not only be thankful but to also express our thanksgiving.

Being thankful keeps me from fretting over what I do not have. My eyes are opened to all that I do have. Its crystal clear then that not only are all my needs met, I see just how abundantly blessed I am beyond what I need. I’m not so easily suckered into thinking I ‘have-to-have’ all that I see because I recognize all that I already have. The LORD is my shepherd, I lack nothing. Ps. 23:1

Being thankful helps me to recognize and be mindful that every good and perfect gift is from God. All that I have and all that I am is his. My ego stays in check. James 1:17

Being thankful allows me to have a spirit of gratitude which leads to joy and contentment in all circumstance in life, especially the painful and difficult ones. All of which are evidence of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Gal. 5:22

Being thankful keeps me humble and ultimately draws me closer to my Heavenly Father. Phil. 2:1-11.

So far during this thanksgiving season, I am thankful for getting the giggles with friends. I'm thankful for my family who serve me daily with joy in doing so. I'm thankful that I get to be an aunt to some pretty rad nieces and nephews and I’m thankful that as a woman I can wear blue jeans and even reveal my ankles without shame. I have many more days to express all that I am grateful for. My hope is that I become a person in who a spirit of thanks is an attribute that reflects the goodness of a good God!

Having a heart of thanks is contagious. I hope you’ve caught it bad this season!

Why is it important to you to give thanks publically and what are you thankful for?

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. Col. 2:6-7

Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth. Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. Know that the LORD is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations. Ps. 100

Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. 1 Thes. 5:16

A Psalm for My Community

Crissy Brooks — Sun, 28 Aug 2011 20:14:00 -0700

Three years ago, in a very desperate place, our Mika community took a week between summer and fall to pray and seek God together in an intense way. This has become a precious tradition that has since been part of our rhythm of life together. This past week we started with a day of praise and thanksgiving, recalling all that the Lord has done for us. We ended the day each writing a psalm of praise and reading them out together. This is the psalm I wrote for our community:

My Psalm

I praise you God for you are GOOD.

Your faithfulness is our shield and guide

Your provision has become our song

When we were young and unexperienced, You led us with wise counsel

In our naivete and enthusiasm You led us by your wise Spirit.

My soul rejoices in the community you have weaved together

My heart bursts with praise as I remember Mark, Lindsy, Jaime, Mike, Ernesto, Ray and the rest

I praise you for building this family

for Keturah, Walter and Carmen, Juval and Teresa, Caryn and Jeff, Effy and Paul, and Monse

You are gracious and abundant, reveaing Yourself to each generation

You have made Yourself known to youth

to Carlos, Mario, Brandon and Gabriel, Uli and Kairon, Gio and Lalo

You have shown Yourself to small children

to Jimmy and Genny, Jose and Dulce

Great are Your deeds!

You have exalted the lowly of Costa Mesa and shown favor to those looked down on

You raise up oaks of righteousness

You make a way when there is no way

You use the humble to lead the rich

Who can understand Your ways?

They are great.

You are GOOD.

We trust in Your unfailing kindness.

We trust in You to unite us.

We recognize Your truth and say, "Yes!" to Your way.

All glory and honor and praise to You

God of justice, mercy, humility, and love

We love you precious Lord.

What psalm of praise is bubbling up in you in this season?

Stereotypes For Thanksgiving

MarkM — Wed, 24 Nov 2010 14:35:27 -0800

I find stereotypes very convenient. They’re just so handy when an SUV with NJ plates cuts me off in traffic, and I can instantly assign the driver’s rudeness to a function of their geographic origin. Sometimes my stereotypes are kind of knee-jerk reactions, like when I’m driving. At other times they simmer quietly, like when I see a local southern guy at church wearing a pink oxford, a brass-buttoned blue blazer, and a bow tie.

I’m not sure that negative stereotypes can exist without the opposite, more accurate positive narratives to be true. As I pedal my Trek to work, I can believe/expect/assume most people are not going to run red lights, but will stop carefully and let me cross the street intact. When the Jersey boy in the white Nissan blows past, I apply the stereotype because he stands out; he’s the exception to the rule. It’s the greater positive reality that allows the lesser, negative stereotype to exist. Negative stereotypes are created in response to a small few, but such generalizations slake our cynical thirst to categorize and simplify.

I read a poem this morning by Taha Muhammad Ali, a Palestinian poet who runs a gift shop in Nazareth. I like this poem, because it points out another narrative, the other stereotype of Arabs that is positive and more true than the negative. Be warned: it’s not a stereotype that will make it easy to hate Arabs, justify foreign policy, or sell media. But it’s true, truer than the negative. And I’m deeply glad for that. By God’s grace, the positive stereotypes are what I want to reflect on this Thanksgiving. Communities are strong. People are kind. They care. And that makes me thankful.

Taha Muhammad Ali

Abd El-Hadi Fights a Superpower

In his life
he neither wrote nor read.
In his life he
didn't cut down a single tree,
didn't slit the throat
of a single calf.
In his life he did not speak
of the New York Times
behind its back,
didn't raise
his voice to a soul
except in his saying:
"Come in, please,
by God, you can't refuse."

. . .

Nevertheless -
his case is hopeless,
his situation
desperate.
His God-given rights are a grain of salt
tossed into the sea.

Ladies and gentlemen of the jury:
about his enemies
my client knows not a thing.
And I can assure you,
were he to encounter
the entire crew
of the aircraft carrier Enterprise,
he'd serve them eggs
sunny-side up,
and labneh
fresh from the bag.

Thanksgiving Proclamation

Dave Sterrett — Wed, 24 Nov 2010 10:16:22 -0800

George Washington's Proclamation: A National Thanksgiving, October 3, 1789:

Whereas it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favor; and Whereas both Houses of Congress have, by their joint committee, requested me to “recommend to the people of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer, to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favors of Almighty God, especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness:”

Now, therefore, I do recommend and assign Thursday, the 26th day of November next, to be devoted by the people of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being who is the beneficent author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be; that we may then all unite in rendering unto Him our sincere and humble thanks for His kind care and protection of the people of this country previous to their becoming a nation; for the signal and manifold mercies and the favorable interpositions of His providence in the course and conclusion of the late war; for the great degree of tranquility, union, and plenty which we have since enjoyed; for the peaceable and rational manner in which we have been enable to establish constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national one now lately instituted for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed, and the means we have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge; and, in general, for all the great and various favors which He has been pleased to confer upon us.

And also that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and beseech Him to pardon our national and other transgressions; to enable us all, whether in public or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually; to render our National Government a blessing to all the people by constantly being a Government of wise, just, and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed; to protect and guide all sovereigns and nations (especially such as have shown kindness to us), and to bless them with good governments, peace, and concord; to promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the increase of science among them and us; and, generally to grant unto all mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as He alone knows to be best.

Given under my hand, at the city of New York, the 3d day of October, A.D. 1789.

Quotable Thanks

Abbie Smith — Wed, 24 Nov 2010 06:58:42 -0800

"Giving thanks to God for both His temporal and spiritual blessings in our lives
is not just a nice thing to do - it is the moral will of God.
Failure to give Him the thanks due Him is sin."
[Jerry Bridges, Respectable Sins]

"O Lord, who lends me life, lend me a heart replete with thankfulness."
[Shakespeare]

"He who remembers the benefits of his parents is too much occupied with his recollections to remember their faults."
[Béranger]

"We never approach God without cause for gratitude.
Thankfulness, a duty and delight greatly prominent in the Bible, is the declarative mood of gratitude - a bright fire in the world's frigid zone,
the memory and homage of the heart, a master force in soul-building, the greatest tonic faith has. Be ye thankful."
[Robert G. Lee]

"I hate ingratitude more in man than lying, vainness, drunkenness or any taint of vice, whose strong corruption inhibits our frail blood."
[Shakespeare]

"Pride slays thanksgiving, but a humble mind is the soil of which thanks naturally grow. A proud man is seldom a grateful man,
for he never thinks he gets much as he deserves."
[Henry Ward Beecher]

"Gratitude is born in hearts that take time to count past mercies."
[Charles E. Jefferson]

"That I may publish with the voice of thanksgiving, and tell of all thy wondrous works."
[Psalm 26:7]

"Life without thankfulness is devoid of love and passion. Hope without thankfulness is lacking in fine perception. Faith without thankfulness lacks strength and fortitude. Every virtue divorced from thankfulness is maimed and limps along the spiritual road."
[John Henry Jowett]

"To hear someone say 'Happy Turkey Day' makes me sad because they have nothing to be thankful for and no one to whom to be thankful."
[Robert Flatt]

"Perhaps it takes a purer faith to praise God for unrealized blessings than for those we once enjoyed or those we enjoy now."
[A. W. Tozer]

"We would worry less if we praised more. Thanksgiving is the enemy of discontent and dissatisfaction."
[Harry A. Ironside]

"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]

"In ordinary life we hardly realize that we receive a great deal more than we give,
and that it is only with gratitude that life becomes rich."
[Dietrich Bonhoeffer]

"Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it."
[William Arthur Ward]

"You say, 'If I had a little more, I should be very satisfied.' You make a mistake. If you are not content with what you have,
you would not be satisfied if it were doubled."
[Charles Haddon Spurgeon]

"Our rural ancestors, with little blest, patient of labor when the end was rest, indulged the day that housed their annual grain, with feasts, and off'rings, and a thankful strain." [Alexander Pope]

"Remember God's bounty in the year. String the pearls of His favor. Hide the dark parts, except so far as they are breaking out in light! Give this one day to thanks, to joy, to gratitude!" [Henry Ward Beecher]

“A thanksgiving-day hath a double precedency of a fast-day.
On a fast-day we eye God’s anger; on a thanksgiving-day we look to God’s favor.
In the former we specially mind our corruptions; in the latter, God’s compassions;
therefore a fast-day calls for sorrow, a thanksgiving-day for joy.
But the Lord’s day is the highest thanksgiving day.”
[George Swinnock ]

The Christian who walks with the Lord and keeps constant communion with Him will see many reason for rejoicing and thanksgiving all day long."
[Warren Wiersbe]

"No longer forward nor behind
I look in hope or fear;
But, grateful, take the good I find,
The best of now and here."
[John Greenleaf Whittier]

Eat, Drink and Be Wary

Jeff Hopper — Tue, 23 Nov 2010 10:04:28 -0800

Let’s see. What are you doing this Thursday? Could it be that some turkey is in order?

I’m not one of those lineman-caliber eaters myself, but I do enjoy a number of the holiday’s particular flavors. I’ll let the cooks in my home do their thing, then I’ll set to carving, and soon we’ll gather and eat, friends and family. Perfect.

What I’m not so sure of is whether the TV will be buzzing in the background. We watch our share of football in our family room, but we’ve no fans in-house of any of the particular teams this Thanksgiving, and since the day kicks off with one potentially horrendous mismatch—Lions vs. Patriots—it will be hard to get sucked into the day’s “drama.”

Christmas is coming, though. For several seasons now that has meant one mammoth matchup or another, usually involving the Lakers, who are both a regional favorite and wear championship mantles.

This we can be tempted to watch.

And therein lies the trouble. There are a lot of things I love about the holidays. But I wish sports would take them off, too.

I wish athletes, whose family lives are already torn asunder by long days, late nights, and travel, could enjoy a day they know is guarded for the ones they love most.

I wish TV cameramen and sportscasters didn’t have to resort to showing us the turkey feasts in their trailers and could instead dine at home and then snooze in front of the fire. Maybe this is the deepest reason John Madden retired.

I wish fans could spend a whole day doing what was done for hundreds of years—finding out what is so unique and fascinating about those communing ’round their table, telling stories of their own, and laughing genuinely. Am I strange to think that is better than focusing elsewhere, grumbling over misplays, and chuckling at the cheap laughs of beer ads?

I wish I myself, even knowing what I know to be better than games on TV, would not be tempted to stay inside where it’s warm and light up the tube. I wish I could take up the Nerf football and run amateur pass patterns on the front lawn like I did when I was younger.

Maybe they’re right. Maybe nothing is sacred anymore. Not even holidays.

But maybe I can do something even more right. Maybe I can quit listening to what they have to say, and fight instead for the sacred in my own life. For eating and drinking and befriending and doing silly touchdown dances beyond the blue Chevy that defines our street’s end zone. And for thanking God that He has made me to do all this. Still.

Checking-in: A Self-Care Thanksgiving

Kristin Ritzau — Mon, 22 Nov 2010 11:13:48 -0800

Thanksgiving is upon us. At the same time this thrills me, I am also struck by its ever rapid approach this year. I have been pondering the pace and meaning of time and Thanksgiving quite a bit as I skim cookbooks and Food Network.com as well as navigate through Trader Joes like it's boot camp.

Last week I wrote about the reality of "what is" in terms of books and this week I find myself wrestling with a similar conundrum around food and neighboring.

For the past year, I've found myself speaking in different arenas about what self-care is. It's hard to define a lifestyle change in a one-time visit, as exciting and great as these events have been. So I've broken my latest definition of self-care down even further (probably for myself even more than audiences). Self-care is a "checking-in" to your life, not a "checking-out." It is a concept flanked by the Word of the Lord saying, "Be still and know I am God" and the gospel of Luke asking -- no, telling -- that we daily need to take up our crosses. As John Wesley writes, the option of no one not having a cross to bear is gone.

There isn't a better time of year where these two concepts are forsaken. What is supposed to be the holy season of advent is left on the altars of starving ourselves so we can gorge a few days later and worrying about gift-buying. At some point comes the realization that January first's reset button is right around the corner, so we succumb to the pigs in the blanket while reading another article on how to eat right at holiday parties and charge those credit cards. I'm not trying to say we "all" wrestle with this, but rather point out the absurdity of our cultural commentary of consumption during this time of year. How I know it is the season of giving, not because I sense it in my family or in my community, rather because Target starts rearranging their store.

The guilt becomes the overarching feeling of the season. From food to buying that perfect gift we might overcome this feeling by serving one-day at the shelter downtown. Then we are "serving" at least. Right?

My contemplative heart begs to ask why though? Why am I concerned with feeding those an hour away than asking my neighbor if he has a table to sit at? Why did I give the little girl next door my old cans laden with food I deemed not worthy for my family's bodies for her food drive? Essentially tossing my leftovers in the name of "blessing" someone. Like opposing magnets, it further propagates the us-and-them cycle. A lifetime of disconnect and lacking a unified "we."

This cycle is what I wold like to call "Life Dieting" -- constantly consuming less than satisfying substitutes instead of tasting all life has to offer: food and relationship. Fluctuating between stores and diets is a path to starving our souls and our neighborhoods of the dire nourishment both need. When everything has to be done right, perfect and huge... it misses the little sparks of intimacy and savoring.

Diets don't work. Sorry to be Scroogy, but that way of life, it will defeat you. It wins... whatever award, I don't know. I gave up a couple of years ago when my thyroid stopped working. That's another tale for another day, but I learned that the society's remedies were not working for me when my body held onto weight like a child to her blanket. I had to tune out the same-old sing-song of the culture's "shoulds" in terms of dieting, decadent desserts, and devotion to the homeless people I don't know.

Instead I checked-in to my own life. I learned what my body really needed to find some semblance of functioning. I found out that the single gentleman living next door had no family in town. I waved at the man in the wheelchair across from my house who, probably due to a stroke, has not remembered my name in two years, but gives me roses from his garden on Mother's Day solely because I'm a woman he vaguely recognizes. It's small and it's personal, but it won't save the world. However, I don't think I'm supposed to.

It would be easier in a way to diet. It would be convenient to serve others in a town miles away from where I live and then come home to my quiet house where I don't know what's happening across the street. This way of life-- of checking-in after I've come home from work, of letting people swing by when they need something or even, asking for help -- is hard. Asking myself to think about where my food comes from and of inviting the neighbors over when they are not "in my circle" is a life I would have laughed at 10 years ago, but this is the simple life; it is not grand. This is putting down roots.

To put down roots this Thanksgiving means that I have finally started making peace with God, myself, and others... from the people I talk to on a walk to the park around the corner to the solitude day I'm taking this week. Do I have this figured out? I'm trying. But it's a process. Putting down roots doesn't mean having kids or a mortgage payment. It means no longer running to what's next or dwelling in the "what ifs." It's right here, right now -- making effort with everything I have to work towards a sustainable way of life. One of walking humbly with the Lord -- treating our neighbor as justly as we treat ourselves and realizing that our bodies and souls can no longer live in the life-sucking pattern of gorging and starvation. They need the consistent love and nourishment that only diversity of people, thought, and food can bring. Starting this at home, no matter where home is, is what Thanksgiving is about.

(our home)

This year I am thankful for my home, the literal building, yes, but mostly the home I am making in my uniquely created soul. Because learning that God is already embedded in my true self -- nourishing and caring for me -- is what is.... real. I just have to slow down and check-in to realize the constant reshaping is occurring. And a turkey, no matter how good it is, cannot bring about that peace.

So slow this week and ask yourself, even more than what you're thankful for, what do you want to show-up for? What do you want to stop checking-out about? Where do you need to check-in?

(And feel free to share it here as a metaphorical Thanksgiving table as well - I would be grateful to hear.)

Picture credit - Kristin Ritzau - please do not use without permission.

Stories to Remember

Crissy Brooks — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 12:26:00 -0800

So my sister has the apron on, little cousin is begging to go to the park. Some family aren't coming because they are upset and others are sitting in traffic on their way as I type. Dad just yelled out, "Let the football games begin" and Mom is trying to squeeze one more place at the table. Grandma has only insulted me once so far with an attempted compliment and our British friend is photographing every dish... Just another holiday here at the Brooks' home.

In a couple of hours we'll be all settled in. The prayers will be said and the food will be shared. And then someone will bust out the first of Aunt Katherine's brownies and the stories will begin. My grandmother has seven brothers and sisters. They were raised in Hong Kong. I have spent many Thanksgivings eating brownies and listening to their adventures. This year there will only be two of them at the table- my grandmother and her sister in law are the ones left of that generation. Considering the dwindling group, the stories become more precious.

StoryCorps www.storycorps.org has declared tomorrow the National Day of Listening. They are encouraging people around the nation to interview their loved ones recognizing that listening is an act of love. Who would you interview? Who's story do you want to delve into? StoryCorps says that the microphone gives you permission to ask questions you wouldn't normally. So take advantage of being with your crazy family this weekend. Use whatever recording equipment you have- your phone, your computer, an old school tape recorder. Here's some StoryCorps questions to get you started:

What was the happiest moment of your life?
What are you most proud of?
What are the most important lessons you've learned in life?
What is your earliest memory?
How would you like to be remembered?

Happy Remembering!