Remembering My Mother

Today is my mother's birthday.  It is hard to believe she has been gone over 8 years.  I miss her most as I prepare to cook for Thanksgiving.

My mother's dressing was the stuff of legends.  Each year we would pull out a huge enameled dishpan, and the ritual was begun.  Cornbread was baked, bread crumbs made, sausage browned, herbs and vegetables cut, and bathed in butter as they cooked.  Her secret ingredient was water chestnuts, which added a wonderful crunch.  All were combined and delicately tossed, so that it would not be mixed to much.  Some would be put inside the turkey, but most would be baked as we ate our Thanksgiving dinner so we would have plenty of leftovers to satisfy our annual indulgence.

Traditions are important to families, and can be made in so many different ways.  I am sure as my mother rose before dawn to prepare the Thanksgiving meal, she was not aware that she was building memories that would last long after she died.

God's People Gunned Down

The recent events in Charleston, South Carolina had a big impact on me.  A man walked into the Emanuel A.M.E. church and gunned down people who had gathered to study God's Word.  The relatives of those killed have shown great forgiveness to the shooter.  The voices of the community have drowned out those who would have used the tragedy for their own glorification.  Last night they gathered on a bridge and joined hands in unity.  What a gunman intended for evil has been used for good.   The people of the "Holy City" have been drawn together and the world has seen the power of the Lord.

This morning I read a post on the Desiring God blog about how God uses what we might see as evil for good.  It is worth reading.

Christmas Morning

Since I last posted, I have moved to a small farmhouse in the country.  This is Christmas morning.  I woke before sunrise, and took my usual position on the back steps with my first cup of coffee.  I love to sit there in the morning.  As the sun rises, the animals in the area greet the morning.  The roosters crow, the cattle moo, and the donkeys bray.  This morning I was reminded that these were the first sounds that Jesus heard on the morning of His birth.

I pray that you and your family will have a merry Christmas, and may God bless you in the new year.