Public Thanks and Prayer to Almighty God...
...as initiated in the settlements of the Pilgrims in the 1600's, continued by the colonies under the edict of Pres. George Washington, continued by Pres. Abraham Lincoln after the Civil War, and reiterated by presidents thereafter, we Americans are thankful to Almighty God for His providence in our lives, His favors upon us as a people both individually and severally, His blessings upon us whether we believe in Him or not, acknowledging that He is the author of good that was, that is, or that will be.
...and personally I am thankful for my family, my wife Wanda, my son, Lance and his family, Jennifer, Elliana, and Micah. I have been blessed with such great relatives! I am also thankful for my blended family of Wanda's progeny: Randy and his family, Russell and his family, and Donna and her family. We are having Kyle, Donna, Kasey, and Kolt (from Liberal, KS) plus Jarrod, Jennifer, James, and Ryan (from Okla City), and Lance, Jennifer, Ellie, and Micah (from Wichita, KS) for Thanksgiving dinner today. Wanda has been working on it for over a week. I have been able to sample just one of the pecan pies (see previous post of picture of pies). I even had some of the leftover pumpkin pie filling cooked like the real thing and it was delish. After the meal, we hope to expose the city kids to the country with a first horseback ride for Ellie, Micah, and James. Even though Micah thinks his Grandad is a cowboy, he probably won't be riding the horse (last experience produced too many saddle sores).
...probably, we won't play touch football in the yard or we would have to experience football the way Andy Griffith talked about it: having to run the length of the field without fumbling or "stepping in somethin'".