October Kindles a Strange yet Wonderful Feeling

River from Mary Lake, Huntsville, ON

Thanksgiving Monday. Turkey dinner is over. The trailer has been put to bed for another season (I miss it already!) and the leaves with their spectacular colour have fallen victim to early morning frost and lay in abundance on the ground. Yet, despite the cold, the sun continues to shine in the face of threatening snow.

For me, October kindles a strange yet wonderful feeling… bitter sweet, almost…strange how there’s so much beauty in the death of a season.

We have been reminded once again of the things for

October in Baysville, ON in the Muskokas

which we should express thankfulness. Our spouses, our children and grandchildren and extended family. Friends. Food. Clothing. A place to call home…the list is endless. And I’m confident that I would never finish the list even if I made this post several pages long!

When you think about it, saying thank you is such a daily occurrence. We are taught this polite expression from early childhood and are expected to continue it throughout our adult years. At the least, it’s considered a common courtesy. And yet, it seems that a date on the calendar is what it often takes to remind us to express appreciation, love and gratitude for the things and people we often take for granted none the least of whom is our heavenly Father.

Trailer Park, Muskoka Bible Centre

A chorus sung in chapel on Thanksgiving Sunday at Muskoka Bible Centre expressed the highest form of thankfulness: “Thank you, oh my Father for giving us Your Son and leaving His Spirit till the work on earth is done.”

…. Can’t beat that!

On a personal note…

Thirty-eight years ago today I brought my last child into this world. Bradley John Joseph Waring! Thanksgiving was a week later that year and at six days old, Bradley arrived home on Thanksgiving Monday.

The following is a piece from my memoir written to Brad. He was never to have been! Man said it was impossible. God thought differently!

It has been said that “Life is like a tapestry. Many times we see only the backside with all the knots, scrambled threads, and loose ends, but we can be sure God is producing a work of art.”  You have certainly laid claim to a part of this life, especially for someone who, by man’s standards, was never to have been. God produced a work of art when He thought of you. Jeremiah 1:5 says, “Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you.”  He gave you a phenomenal gift and you are searching out its potential in your life. With His help you will make your mark. 

You are my last born. In many families you are called—and will be forever called—the baby, as am I! There is something special about being the last, unlike any other position in the family chain. You represent the finale, the fantastic finish, the completion of a great play. Run with that thought. Know you are loved. Know you have that special place in my heart that no one else can ever have…because you are my grand finale!

Happy Birthday, Brad. Thanksgiving will always be special for me…you were born! Love you very much.