Thanksgiving in the United States of America – Part 1

Good day to each of you reading this article on Thanksgiving in the U.S.A., as I wish to share my thoughts on this important holiday.

Here, in the USA, we are entering the Thanksgiving weekend where families get together and enjoy the day. Let’s examine this day and let me know if this is how they normally go: Wake up in the morning (early morning) to begin cooking—lot’s of cooking before the rest of the family arrives. Is it fun? Yes, but to a point and hopefully, you got all the groceries the day before. Don’t bet on it, I’m sure you’ll have someone go to the grocery store and wait in line for 30 minutes for that one last item. The stress sets in, family is coming soon, food is cooking, house needs tiding up, significant other is watching football, and you need help—Stress is now mounting steadily.

A thought comes to mind—I went through the night before the big test in school—I feel like I’m cramming again, and the stress is mounting. Back to cooking and telling my other to get out of the chair and do something constructive. Best of Luck! Maybe he can set the table, run the vacuum cleaner, clean the toilets or turn off the TV—Turn off the TV, not play with the remote.

Looking at my watch and hearing the same Christmas music, the food is ready, the house is well, the best one can do, and the table is set. Meanwhile, my significant other is still playing with the remote and hasn’t done a thing to help. Now, where is the family? How many people recorded Jingle Bells—that’s all I hear! Stress has hit—where is that Thanksgiving bottle of wine? Wow, look the family is here, coming in and hugging everyone—Let’s eat—

As I sit down with the family and look around while my other half cuts the meat, I am so thankful that everyone is here, safe and sound, talking, singing and smiling and, in the background, music to my ears. What has taken days to plan, groceries to get, and hours to cook, has been consumed in a matter of minutes. At least I have help with the dishes from the ladies and the men, well, the men are comfortable in their recliners and sofa awaiting their dessert to be served and fumbling for the remote. Does this sound familiar? As for the later Thanksgiving afternoon, the men are watching football or snoring like bulldogs and the ladies, the ladies have got the paper in hand going thru the paper for the Black Friday sales. More stress—got to go to bed early to get up early to catch all the sales—the ladies are plotting and planning as to each store, what product they will buy, when the store opens, when to have breakfast, and what their budget is for each item. In the meantime, the man will be sleeping until she gets back—Like he says to the other men watching the game—Do the ladies call that fun, shopping on Black Friday?

Folks, am I going over the top, or is this is not true in our society? Retail stores use to be closed for Thanksgiving so the family could be together and spend the day together. Here is one day out of 365 days for the family to come together as one and be thankful—Isn’t that what Thanks Giving is giving thanks.

And did you notice, no giving thanks to God, because we are too busy piling food on our plates so we can dig in or trying to hear the football scores. We are too busy eating without a blessing for the food, safe travel, health, and state of mind. I have heard the song, “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year” and what comes to my mind is “It’s the Most Stressful Time of the Year” where many folks are like a herd of elephants shopping—don’t get in their way!

Will it always be this way? Will stores close for Thanksgiving? Will families be re-united, and food and football not rule the day? What will it take for our people to awaken from the greed of holidays and the fear of going in debt for presents spent?

Thanksgiving should be each day, not one designated day and famine should never reach our countries, but it will. How do I know?

In the USA, the Midwest part of our country experienced spring floods destroying thousands of acres of crops and farmland. This problem mushroomed according to Government statistics to having 223 Midwest farmers filing bankruptcy. Compare that to 2008 Great Recession which had half of those bankruptcies. Grain prices have slumped considerably due to foreign competition along with the Chinese tariffs on soybeans and Mexican tariffs on cheese.

Our Israelite countries are under siege by fierce and unfair competition, thus forcing our farmers to bankruptcy or moving overseas operations.

Is the trade affecting us? It sure is—Prices in the grocery stores have skyrocketed and exports have dried up such as shipping cheese to Mexico, low crop prices, EU proposed tariffs, soybean tariffs to China and other countries filling our void to supply those countries in need. Our Israelite countries are being left out in the cold as the Asian and European trade blocs get together and begin “calling the shots”.

The weather—Man can’t control the weather and never will—He can’t make it rain, but God can, and God can withhold the rain. Just ask any Californian about the weather, the fires, the mudslides and the destroying of crops, fields, homes and vineyards. Ask the mid-western farmer who has seen record rains flooding his grain fields and washing away his topsoil.

Turn to Joel 1: 9-20 and I think you will agree this is what is happening in our lands—Let me take this one step further and blame the farmer—No, not all farmers, but farmers who don’t adhere to the law of God.

God has told each of us who garden, the correct way to treat and maintain our land—We are stewards of God’s land and if we don’t take care of the land, then we will reap the curses.

Turn to Exodus 23:10-13 (FF) “For six years you shall sow the earth, and gather its produce, but in the seventh you shall manure it, and spread it out, and the destitute of your people shall eat, and the rest of the animals of the field shall eat. You shall do the same with your vineyards and olive plantations. Six days you shall do all your business, but the seventh day you shall rest, so that your ox and your ass may take comfort, and your servants and foreigners refresh themselves. “And all that I say to you, you shall regard; for you shall not remember a name of other Gods, and it shall not be heard from your mouth.

Remember the double witness—Leviticus 25: 1-7—Verses 3-7(FF) say the following—“You shall sow your fields for six years, and prune your vineyards for six years, and then cease to go to them; and in the seventh year there shall be a Rest of Rests for the land to EVER-LIVING. You shall not sow your fields, nor prune your vineyards. You shall not reap the self-grown harvest, not cut off the bunches from your vine. It is a Rest of Rests for the earth. There shall be a rest for the earth to feed it; for you, and for your servant, and for your maid servant, and for your hired laborer, and the for the foreigners residing with you, and for your cattle and animals that are in your country who shall all be allowed to eat of it.

The Ever-Living has commanded that our lands must have a Rest of Rests every seventh year and this not happening. Am I correct? I am in hopes that we have farmers who adhere to the above command and adhering to this command. I urge pastors in our churches to preach and teach God’s commands so that we may receive the blessings and thanksgivings each day instead of the curses that beseech our lands.

Let stop there and tackle the second part of the Thanksgiving lesson with an interesting twist.

May God bless each of you reading this column.

Jeff