Thanksgiving Observance 40 Years Ago

 So many people are dealing with grief, loss, and serious illness within their family. As my heart continues to ache for those who have suffered devastating losses since last Thanksgiving, may this family recollection from a family Thanksgiving forty years ago provide encouragement to focus on an attitude of gratitude and restoration in the midst of grief.

The Thanksgiving of 1982

                A strong woman was born in 1924. Bernyce Smith Gates, my mother and the only child of her parents, showed her strength at seven when standing on a stool, she began cooking for her father and herself. Her mother, a trained nurse, had begun assisting families in the community since these neighbors could not afford health care during the Great Depression of the 1930s. 

             My mother's strong determination spurred her to chase a much bigger boy when she was quite young. She spotted him stealing her father's tobacco and couldn't let him get away with it. Upon sensing little Bernyce in pursuit, he tossed down the stolen tobacco, which Mother triumphantly retrieved.

             She loved to run. As a little girl, Mother even spied a rabbit and chased it as it scampered away. She caught it but then let it go. She just wanted to prove to herself that she could catch the bunny.

             Mother worked in the fields with her parents as they farmed. She excelled in school even though she always walked to grade school and rode lengthy bus routes in high school (Her bus picked up students in Masham and other small communities in Pawnee County when she attended Ralston High School. In her last three years, as the bus meandered to Burbank High School, other high school students were picked up all along the way).
             One of my more vivid memories of her strength was in the fall of 1982. Mother had watched her parents weaken in health and had spent about two years giving them full-time assistance. She had put her own life on hold. Grandma suffered a massive stroke in mid-October and was hospitalized. Grandpa’s condition deteriorated, and he was hospitalized. Soon Grandma was transferred to a rehabilitation center over seventy miles away. Within two weeks, Grandpa died on October 30. 

                The week of Thanksgiving rolled around. Grandma was making little progress in her rehabilitation; however, she had a few weeks of therapy remaining so would not be home for the Thursday holiday.  My sister and I, both in our twenties, were devastated by the loss of Grandpa since our maternal grandparents had lived with us all our lives.  We both said, “Let’s not have a family Thanksgiving celebration.”  Mother, without blinking an eye or pausing a second to reflect on her response, immediately shot back, “Thanksgiving is about being thankful.” 
            We observed Thanksgiving that year because my mother knew there was always a reason to give thanks even though she had just lost her beloved father to death and her mother, a once vibrant, intelligent, creative woman was making minimal progress in a rehabilitation center. 

Autumn Photograph from Mother's
 yard in 2010

            Now 40 years later, that pivotal moment in time provides strength for me whenever I am faced with insurmountable difficulties and want to give up. Anyone who knows my mother knows her as a champion supporter of family, desiring all feel comfortable and welcome in her home. Her entire life has been devoted to being a keeper of the home, bolstering her family all the while, but her thankfulness is directed at God who provides breath, rain, sunlight, and all needed to sustain our lives. Over and above those blessings of life, Mother thanks the Lord most for sending His Son, Jesus, to provide salvation for those who repent and receive Him. No other gift compares to Him.
            At this Thanksgiving season, may we truly give thanks. All of us could spend hours compiling a list of blessings and not even scratch the surface of just the blessings we daily receive. Hopefully, we can take time this week to read and then meditate throughout the week on this psalm of praise.

Psalm 100

Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands.

Serve the Lord with gladness; come before His presence with singing.

Know ye that the Lord, He is God; it is He who made us, and not we ourselves; 
We are His people, and the sheep of His pasture.

Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise; 
Be thankful unto Him, and bless His name.

For the Lord is good; His mercy is everlasting, and His truth endures to all generations.