Sandwiched between the hoopla of Halloween and the ever-increasing commercialism of Christmas, lies Thanksgiving...the soon to be forgotten holiday. To many, it's just become "Turkey Day", a day for overindulging in rich food, Christmas parades, and the ever-increasing number of football "Bowl" games.
Don't misunderstand me, I love to have fun. Yes, much of my fun seems to revolve around food; but sadly the true meaning of Thanksgiving has become more and more obscure with each passing year. Soon Thanksgiving Day will be renamed, "Black Thursday"...the first of the month long spending frenzy called "holiday shopping." Note the word "Christmas" is also omitted more and more frequently.
History is being rewritten. Now the first Thanksgiving is protrayed as the Pilgrims' thanking the Indians for sharing their food. God is removed from the equation of protection and provision. The turkey is the center of attention. It just isn't politically correct to be thankful to God. We might offend someone who isn't a believer. Oh well, this over-fifty Southern girl refuses to be politically correct when it comes to my God and Savior, Jesus Christ.
I am thankful to God for His provision...not the turkey. Enjoy the day with family and friends, but please take the time to be truly thankful to Jehovah Jireh, Our Provider. He is VERY good...and His loving kindness endures FOREVER.
Psalm 107: "O give thanks unto the LORD, for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever."
Psalm 100: "Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands. 2Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing.3Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. 4Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name. 5For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations."
Psalm 96: 1O sing unto the LORD a new song: sing unto the LORD, all the earth. 2Sing unto the LORD, bless his name; shew forth his salvation from day to day. 3Declare his glory among the heathen, his wonders among all people. 4For the LORD is great, and greatly to be praised: he is to be feared above all gods. 5For all the gods of the nations are idols: but the LORD made the heavens.
6Honour and majesty are before him: strength and beauty are in his sanctuary. 7Give unto the LORD, O ye kindreds of the people, give unto the LORD glory and strength. 8Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name: bring an offering, and come into his courts. 9O worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness: fear before him, all the earth. 10Say among the heathen that the LORD reigneth: the world also shall be established that it shall not be moved: he shall judge the people righteously. 11Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad; let the sea roar, and the fulness thereof. 12Let the field be joyful, and all that is therein: then shall all the trees of the wood rejoice 13Before the LORD: for he cometh, for he cometh to judge the earth: he shall judge the world with righteousness, and the people with his truth.
Shout to the Lord
by Chris Tomlin
Shout to the Lord, all the earth,
Let us sing
Power and majesty, praise to the King;
Mountains bow down and the seas will roar
At the sound of Your name.
I sing for joy at the work of Your hands,
Forever I'll love You, forever I'll stand,
Nothing compares to the promise I have in You.
My Jesus, My Savior,
Lord, there is none like You;
All of my days
I want to praise
The wonders of Your mighty love.
My comfort, my shelter,
Tower of refuge and strength;
Let every breath, all that I am
Never cease to worship You.
Shout to the Lord, all the earth,
Let us sing
Power and majesty, praise to the King;
Mountains bow down and the seas will roar
At the sound of Your name.
I sing for joy at the work of Your hands,
Forever I'll love You, forever I'll stand,
Nothing compares to the promise I have in You.
Shout to the Lord, all the earth,
Let us sing
Power and majesty, praise to the King;
Mountains bow down and the seas will roar
At the sound of Your name.
I sing for joy at the work of Your hands,
Forever I'll love You, forever I'll stand,
Nothing compares to the promise I have in You.
Nothing compares to the promise I have
Nothing compares to the promise I have in you
Copyright 2011 Charlotte Laney
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
Monday, November 21, 2011
Motherhood: No Regrets
It rained during the night and it's a cloudy start to this Monday. I am still enjoying the slower pace to my mornings post-employment. The big black dog and I had our breakfast early. He sleeps at my feet while I have devotions, check messages, or write. Oh, to have the carefree life of a very spoiled dog!
Thirty three years ago today at 10:20 a.m., I became a Mommy for the first time. Happy birthday, D! Where have the years gone? It seems like only yesterday that my husband called me on Monday evening to say he was delayed at work. It was two weeks before my due date, and I hadn't told him I'd had contractions off and on all day. I proceeded to say, "Um, I think you'd better get home soon. I think we need to get to the hospital". He was a nervous wreck by the time he made it home. Had he known that although we were the first to be admitted that evening we would be last to deliver, he probably would have been much calmer. It was a "Hard Days Night" as the Beatles song goes, and hubby still reminds us that he missed Monday Night Football.
It's crazy how trends change. In the late 1970's natural childbirth was the "only" way to go. If you used the Lamaze childbirth method but needed pain medication to get you through labor and delivery, you failed the test. At least that's how I felt. It's almost as if our goal was receiving a Badge of Courage for enduring the pain. It's really funny, years after my best friend and I had our babies, we were discussing our childbirth experiences. In prior accounts, I must have failed to mention (or intentionally omitted) taking half-doses of Demerol during the really long labor with my first son. Shocked, she said, "You took Demerol?! I wouldn't take any drugs. I thought if you had done it without them, then I could to". We really laughed over that one. Not that I regret the experience, but seriously, how many of us suffered needlessly for turning childbirth into some kind of competition?
Fast forward to the next generation. At the hospital when our youngest grandson was born, I was amazed watching our daughter-in-law. During labor, she was sitting up, laughing and talking while a monitor showed her having "huge" contractions. She'd had an epidural early into labor and was feeling absolutely no pain.
No fair! I WANT A DO OVER!! Okay, I take that back; I would take nothing for my childbirth experiences, with and without pain medication. Being the mom of two awesome sons is my life's greatest achievement. I've never regretted the experience; not even one day. Hmmm....but then again, there were some days during those teenage years... Sorry guys...just kidding!
Copyright 2011 Charlotte Laney
Thirty three years ago today at 10:20 a.m., I became a Mommy for the first time. Happy birthday, D! Where have the years gone? It seems like only yesterday that my husband called me on Monday evening to say he was delayed at work. It was two weeks before my due date, and I hadn't told him I'd had contractions off and on all day. I proceeded to say, "Um, I think you'd better get home soon. I think we need to get to the hospital". He was a nervous wreck by the time he made it home. Had he known that although we were the first to be admitted that evening we would be last to deliver, he probably would have been much calmer. It was a "Hard Days Night" as the Beatles song goes, and hubby still reminds us that he missed Monday Night Football.
It's crazy how trends change. In the late 1970's natural childbirth was the "only" way to go. If you used the Lamaze childbirth method but needed pain medication to get you through labor and delivery, you failed the test. At least that's how I felt. It's almost as if our goal was receiving a Badge of Courage for enduring the pain. It's really funny, years after my best friend and I had our babies, we were discussing our childbirth experiences. In prior accounts, I must have failed to mention (or intentionally omitted) taking half-doses of Demerol during the really long labor with my first son. Shocked, she said, "You took Demerol?! I wouldn't take any drugs. I thought if you had done it without them, then I could to". We really laughed over that one. Not that I regret the experience, but seriously, how many of us suffered needlessly for turning childbirth into some kind of competition?
Fast forward to the next generation. At the hospital when our youngest grandson was born, I was amazed watching our daughter-in-law. During labor, she was sitting up, laughing and talking while a monitor showed her having "huge" contractions. She'd had an epidural early into labor and was feeling absolutely no pain.
No fair! I WANT A DO OVER!! Okay, I take that back; I would take nothing for my childbirth experiences, with and without pain medication. Being the mom of two awesome sons is my life's greatest achievement. I've never regretted the experience; not even one day. Hmmm....but then again, there were some days during those teenage years... Sorry guys...just kidding!
Copyright 2011 Charlotte Laney
Thursday, November 10, 2011
Remembering: Veteran's Day
Friday, November 11, is Veterans Day...a day to remember and honor those who have served in the United States Armed Forces. Veterans Day was formerly known as Armistice Day, a day to commemorate the formal ending of hostilities of World War I, signed the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month of 1918. If I learned this in World History, I had forgotten it.
Hanging on the wall of our guest bedroom are the war medals of my husband's grandfather. The frame also holds a German Mark he carried in his wallet while stationed in Germany, and a handwritten letter. On the outside of the envelope it says, "Mother's Letter." Soldier's Mail is written where a stamp would normally be; apparently soldiers did not have to pay postage. The letter is transcribed below:
Coblenz, Germany
May 11, 1919
Dear Mama,
Just a few lines to let you know that I am all right and sure hope this finds you all the same. It rained all the afternoon yesterday, and all night last night.
Well Mama, I heard some good news Saturday. I heard that we would be home by the first of September. Well, I sure hope we will get there by that time if not before, for if I ever did want to see anybody in my life, I want to see you all, "especially Maye", Mama. I know you all are taking care of her alright and don't forget you will get paid for it, too, just as soon as I get home and get straightened out.
If I have thought about you all one time since I've left home, I have thought about you a million times. The first thing I think about when I get out of bed every morning is if you all are alright, and you all are on my mind all the time, day and night. I will be the happiest boy on earth when I get back home.
I think you will find a change in me. This Army life has changed a good many of the boys..some for better, and others not so good. But Mama, I thought of Maye, and you, and my dear sisters whenever I felt myself slipping, and thank God I haven't done one thing that I would be ashamed to tell you.
I know Charlie has told you all about this country and the people. I can't start to tell you about it now, but will sure tell you all about it when I get home.
Well Mama, take good care of Maye, and the rest of the folks. Give everybody my love, and write real soon. Hoping I will be home soon, so we can go to camp meeting.
As ever,
Your boy
----------------------------
"Your boy" was Thomas Hardeman Berry and Maye, mentioned in his letter, was his wife Theresa Maye Butler Berry. We called him "Paw", but friends and family called him "Hardeman". He was old when I first met him so it's difficult for me to imagine him as a young soldier in World War I. This letter makes me so proud of him, though. He dearly loved his wife and family. With God's help he was able to keep his life pure and stay faithful to his wife while thousands of miles away from home. Character is: "who you are when you think no one is looking".
Tomorrow, remember to thank God and the men and women who have served, and are serving, in our military. They keep us safe so that we can sleep in peace in our nice warm beds tonight.
Copyright 2011 Charlotte Laney
Hanging on the wall of our guest bedroom are the war medals of my husband's grandfather. The frame also holds a German Mark he carried in his wallet while stationed in Germany, and a handwritten letter. On the outside of the envelope it says, "Mother's Letter." Soldier's Mail is written where a stamp would normally be; apparently soldiers did not have to pay postage. The letter is transcribed below:
Coblenz, Germany
May 11, 1919
Dear Mama,
Just a few lines to let you know that I am all right and sure hope this finds you all the same. It rained all the afternoon yesterday, and all night last night.
Well Mama, I heard some good news Saturday. I heard that we would be home by the first of September. Well, I sure hope we will get there by that time if not before, for if I ever did want to see anybody in my life, I want to see you all, "especially Maye", Mama. I know you all are taking care of her alright and don't forget you will get paid for it, too, just as soon as I get home and get straightened out.
If I have thought about you all one time since I've left home, I have thought about you a million times. The first thing I think about when I get out of bed every morning is if you all are alright, and you all are on my mind all the time, day and night. I will be the happiest boy on earth when I get back home.
I think you will find a change in me. This Army life has changed a good many of the boys..some for better, and others not so good. But Mama, I thought of Maye, and you, and my dear sisters whenever I felt myself slipping, and thank God I haven't done one thing that I would be ashamed to tell you.
I know Charlie has told you all about this country and the people. I can't start to tell you about it now, but will sure tell you all about it when I get home.
Well Mama, take good care of Maye, and the rest of the folks. Give everybody my love, and write real soon. Hoping I will be home soon, so we can go to camp meeting.
As ever,
Your boy
----------------------------
"Your boy" was Thomas Hardeman Berry and Maye, mentioned in his letter, was his wife Theresa Maye Butler Berry. We called him "Paw", but friends and family called him "Hardeman". He was old when I first met him so it's difficult for me to imagine him as a young soldier in World War I. This letter makes me so proud of him, though. He dearly loved his wife and family. With God's help he was able to keep his life pure and stay faithful to his wife while thousands of miles away from home. Character is: "who you are when you think no one is looking".
Tomorrow, remember to thank God and the men and women who have served, and are serving, in our military. They keep us safe so that we can sleep in peace in our nice warm beds tonight.
Copyright 2011 Charlotte Laney
Monday, November 7, 2011
Good Name - More Desirable than Riches
Well, how are you adjusting to the first Monday of fall without Daylight Savings Time? Last night I wasn't at all sleepy at 11:00, probably due to the fact that I napped almost all Sunday afternoon. This morning I'm awake and up before daylight, as usual. I would venture to say that my Grandpa Gaddis would have rebelled against Daylight Savings time and refused to change his clocks with the seasons! He would have thought it was ridiculous, since he also refused to turn on a light in the house until it was dark-thirty.
I definitely come from frugal stock on my mother's side of the family. To my knowledge, my grandparents (father or mother's) never even owned a car. Wow, that's amazing, isn't it! We can't even imagine going a day without one, much less a lifetime.
I always thought my Grandpa Gaddis was a very tall man until I found his height listed on Ancestry.com. According to his WWI draft registration, he was 5'11" tall. He always wore a hat, and by comparison, my grandmother was only 4'11" tall. The contrast between the two made him seem very tall, indeed. Grandma Gaddis was a tiny, feisty woman with extremely long, white hair worn coiled up into a bun. I loved to brush out her long hair when they would come to our house for an extended visit. My mother, the eighth of nine children, couldn't remember her mother without white hair. Birthing nine children (at home) probably drove the color right out!
In his lifetime, my grandfather farmed and worked in the copper mines of Tennessee. They later moved to Clover, South Carolina, where they sharecropped on Duke Power land. As Grandpa got older I imagine farming alone became too difficult, so they moved to North Belmont, North Carolina, where he worked for a time at the Firestone Mill. By the time I came along (the last of bookoodles of grandchildren), he had most likely retired.
My grandfather was a true gentleman who treated my grandmother like a queen. In my entire life, I can't recall ever hearing him raise his voice to anyone. Although he was economical with regard to material possessions, he saved in order to leave a little something behind for each of his children. However, the greatest inheritance he bestowed upon all of us is a life lived well, a Christian heritage, a good name, one that each of his descendants can be proud to share.
Proverbs 22:1: "A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold." - NIV
Copyright 2011 Laney's Musings
I definitely come from frugal stock on my mother's side of the family. To my knowledge, my grandparents (father or mother's) never even owned a car. Wow, that's amazing, isn't it! We can't even imagine going a day without one, much less a lifetime.
I always thought my Grandpa Gaddis was a very tall man until I found his height listed on Ancestry.com. According to his WWI draft registration, he was 5'11" tall. He always wore a hat, and by comparison, my grandmother was only 4'11" tall. The contrast between the two made him seem very tall, indeed. Grandma Gaddis was a tiny, feisty woman with extremely long, white hair worn coiled up into a bun. I loved to brush out her long hair when they would come to our house for an extended visit. My mother, the eighth of nine children, couldn't remember her mother without white hair. Birthing nine children (at home) probably drove the color right out!
In his lifetime, my grandfather farmed and worked in the copper mines of Tennessee. They later moved to Clover, South Carolina, where they sharecropped on Duke Power land. As Grandpa got older I imagine farming alone became too difficult, so they moved to North Belmont, North Carolina, where he worked for a time at the Firestone Mill. By the time I came along (the last of bookoodles of grandchildren), he had most likely retired.
My grandfather was a true gentleman who treated my grandmother like a queen. In my entire life, I can't recall ever hearing him raise his voice to anyone. Although he was economical with regard to material possessions, he saved in order to leave a little something behind for each of his children. However, the greatest inheritance he bestowed upon all of us is a life lived well, a Christian heritage, a good name, one that each of his descendants can be proud to share.
Proverbs 22:1: "A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold." - NIV
Copyright 2011 Laney's Musings
Friday, November 4, 2011
Time Change & Good Books
Although it's still dark outside, I'm wide awake, dressed, and ready for the day. Beginning Sunday, Daylight Savings Time ends, so the sun should be up by the time most of us start our day. Sadly, it will be dark earlier in the afternoon. On this particular Sunday each year, more people are early for church -- usually because they forgot to change their clocks the night before. But, I would rather be early than late.
When I was still employed, I hated the fall time change. By the time we got home from work and dinner was started, it was already dark. My husband works in an office without a window, which would drive me crazy! My moods are in sync with the amount of sunshine I'm exposed to during the day. Long periods of cloudy, rainy days brings out the "Gloomy Gus" in me. Hopefully, this year I will adjust to the fall time change easier since, thankfully, I can be outside anytime I want.
I found a book at the GW Boutique (Goodwill for the uninitiated) last weekend. For you Jane Austen fans, An Assembly Such as This by Pamela Aidan is the first in a series of three about Mr. Darcy from Pride and Prejudice. The book is written in a very similar style to Austen's, but tells the story of Elizabeth Bennett and Mr. Darcy from Fitzwilliam Darcy's point of view. I absolutely love the movie with Keira Knightley and Matthew Macfadyen, and I've read the book by Austen a couple of times. Pride and Prejudice was written by Jane Austen in 1813. Books from that era can be difficult for twenty-first century readers. Many of the customs and dialogue from that time period are foreign to us today. Once I became accustomed to Austen's poetic style, I began to appreciate her sense of humor and wordplay. If you haven't tried reading books from another century, you might find the experience to be somewhat like broccoli, an acquired taste you come to love. If you don't want to read the book, Pride and Prejudice, at least rent or download the 2005 movie. Be forewarned, it's definitely a chick-flick. One of the sweetest things my husband ever did was spent an entire evening with me watching Emma and Pride and Prejudice. A double-feature mind you! Now that's true love! But if truth be known, he probably wasn't paying too close attention to the storyline; but it was nice to have him in the same room, nonetheless.
Copyright 2011 Laney's Musings
When I was still employed, I hated the fall time change. By the time we got home from work and dinner was started, it was already dark. My husband works in an office without a window, which would drive me crazy! My moods are in sync with the amount of sunshine I'm exposed to during the day. Long periods of cloudy, rainy days brings out the "Gloomy Gus" in me. Hopefully, this year I will adjust to the fall time change easier since, thankfully, I can be outside anytime I want.
I found a book at the GW Boutique (Goodwill for the uninitiated) last weekend. For you Jane Austen fans, An Assembly Such as This by Pamela Aidan is the first in a series of three about Mr. Darcy from Pride and Prejudice. The book is written in a very similar style to Austen's, but tells the story of Elizabeth Bennett and Mr. Darcy from Fitzwilliam Darcy's point of view. I absolutely love the movie with Keira Knightley and Matthew Macfadyen, and I've read the book by Austen a couple of times. Pride and Prejudice was written by Jane Austen in 1813. Books from that era can be difficult for twenty-first century readers. Many of the customs and dialogue from that time period are foreign to us today. Once I became accustomed to Austen's poetic style, I began to appreciate her sense of humor and wordplay. If you haven't tried reading books from another century, you might find the experience to be somewhat like broccoli, an acquired taste you come to love. If you don't want to read the book, Pride and Prejudice, at least rent or download the 2005 movie. Be forewarned, it's definitely a chick-flick. One of the sweetest things my husband ever did was spent an entire evening with me watching Emma and Pride and Prejudice. A double-feature mind you! Now that's true love! But if truth be known, he probably wasn't paying too close attention to the storyline; but it was nice to have him in the same room, nonetheless.
Copyright 2011 Laney's Musings
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
Beauty In Ordinary Days
But it happens every year. My big plans for exercising starting in July got waylaid by the hot, humid weather of summer. When the thermometer finally dropped enough to get started, it turned cold this week. We dropped thirty degrees between one day and the next and haven't reached sixty all week! I know, I know! Our northern neighbors think sixty is a heat wave, but for this cold-natured southern girl, if it's not seventy two or higher, it's cold!
In addition to the leftover Kit-Kats and Reeses' from Monday night's trick-or-treaters, I am definitely enjoying the beautiful fall leaves in the area. Our maples and dogwoods are brilliant shades of yellow-orange and red. Most of the trees in our yard are still holding onto their leaves, which means lots of leaf raking, blowing, bagging, and composting to come. Our two huge oak trees sometimes hold their leaves until spring! The photo at the beginning of this blog is of my granddaughter in the North Carolina mountains. Oh, if we could all, like children, retain the joy and wonder of ordinary days.
A couple of weeks ago my friend and I were coming home from the antique mall. We were about three blocks away from my house, when right in front of us, a tiny whirlwind suddenly began emptying all the leaves from a large tree. They were at peak color, and we were caught right in the middle of a golden "leaf storm". We stopped the car in the middle of the road and watched, mesmerized, as God showed off His handiwork. After most of the leaves had fallen, I suddenly remembered I had my camera in my purse. I took some photos, but was disappointed because I couldn't accurately capture the beauty of the moment. Even at fifty-plus years, I am still amazed when God reveals His beauty and majesty in the midst of ordinary days.
Psalm 67:1:7: May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face shine on us so that your ways may be known on earth, your salvation among all nations. May the peoples praise you, God; may all the peoples praise you. May the nations be glad and sing for joy, for you rule the peoples with equity and guide the nations of the earth. May the peoples praise you, God; may all the peoples praise you. The land yields its harvest; God, our God, blesses us. May God bless us still, so that all the ends of the earth will fear him.
Copyright 2011 Laney's Musings
Link to Song by Mercy Me: All of Creation
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