Memories – thank God we’ve all got them!
Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens,
Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens,
Brown paper packages tied up with strings,
These are a few of my favorite things.
And Thanksgiving in Maine may bring “Snowflakes that stay on my nose and eyelashes,” making the deer hunters very happy – - tracking, you understand!
What greater time for precious memories than Thanksgiving! For me it includes the great cities of LA (That’s Lewiston-Auburn, Maine, for those of you that might still wrongly believe that Los Angeles is the center of the universe). And I must also include Washington County of “DownEast” Maine (so called because it is east of Boston and down-wind of the same.) DownEast Maine is my birthroots and my college home. Washington County is rural, with tiny towns doting narrow highways along the coast. Route 1 got improved somewhere in the early ‘60s, going around and avoiding small towns rather than through, but by the time one reached Eastport or Calais, there was no “going around” and they knew they were in the boondocks! But they were “their boondocks” and the Memories remain wonderful!
For me, it was me and Pete, with Gertrude and the original “Buzz.” My mother could cook, and there was always plenty of it. The weather, as noted, was brisk if not downright cold,
hockey season was in full swing, and the frost was definitely heavy on the pumpkin, at least those pumpkins which had not been pilfered by petty prodigal persons during the pugnacious Halloween debacle. We look back to the register or the fireplace (if we had one or the other!) keeping us warm at the table. For Grandmother Maudie in Jonesport, the best place to be was next to the dog who was almost underneath the Blackwood Stove. What warm friendly times! For those of us a little long in the tooth, memories are all that remain. The house has long since been left behind (or torn down) and the Buzzes and Gertrudes of our lives have moved on as well. We miss them. In college, or if you were lucky (blessed) in the armed forces of the USA, you got some time off and headed home, where loving parents were thrilled to see you! It was a fantastic time of year. Rivalry college football games were on TV, usually the Lions and the Bears were duking it out in the famed “Black & Blue Division” of the NFL, so we ate, sat down of the sofa, watched TV, and probably fell asleep. What a day!
Our memories are not identical, but they are all the same. Thanksgiving was a time to particularly and pointedly thank God, and we thanked Him for His bounty, for His blessing, and for the parents He gave us (and even the siblings). It was a pure Christian holiday with no pretense, and our memories keep the siblings, the old home, the wonderful parents, and the little things of our lives that are such big things, alive and well.
I can’t wait to see the Original Buzz in Heaven, as well as others of course! Precious Memories become Precious Promises for the Christian, when we shall gather together again at the Marriage Supper of The Lamb! Everyone is invited, so make sure you’ve responded to the Lord Jesus Christ. He wants you Home for the Holidays!
When the dog bites, when the bee stings When I'm feeling sad I simply remember my favorite things And then I don't feel so bad.
Happy Thanksgiving & love to all,
Pastor
Comments