Thanksgiving

Giving Thanks: Five Prayers for our day of thanks

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Thursday will be here soon, along with the turkey, dressing, and cranberries, none to be tasted until the prayer is said!  If you are the host, you will pray over the meal, or will you ask an unsuspecting guest to do it?  Gracious guest, won’t you want to be ready IF you are called upon to return grace over the bountiful meal?  Below are a few prayers to properly praise the Lord who blesses us with our daily bread, our freedom, and our relationship with Him.

Thanksgiving Dinner Prayer

Heavenly Father, on Thanksgiving Day
We bow our hearts to You and pray.
We give You thanks for all You’ve done
Especially for the gift of Jesus, Your Son.
For beauty in nature, Your glory we see
For joy and health, friends and family,
For daily provision, Your mercy and care
These are the blessings You graciously share.
So today we offer this response of praise
With a promise to follow You all of our days.

-Mary Fairchild  

Abundant Blessing

We thank you for the turkey,
The gravy and the dressing.
Dear Lord, this table overflows
With Thy abundant blessing.
Let us always be aware
That all gifts come from You,
And may we serve Your heavenly will
In everything we do. Amen.

-Joanna Fuchs

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 that hath 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 endureth to all generations.

Moravian Blessing

Come, Lord Jesus, our guest to be
And bless these gifts
Bestowed by Thee.
And bless our loved ones everywhere,
And keep them in Your loving care.

A responsive prayer (from the Book of Common Prayer)

Let us give thanks to God our Father for all his gifts so
freely bestowed upon us.For the beauty and wonder of your creation, in earth and
sky and sea.
We thank you, Lord.For all that is gracious in the lives of men and women,
revealing the image of Christ,
We thank you, Lord.For our daily food and drink, our homes and families, and
our friends,
We thank you, Lord.

For minds to think, and hearts to love, and hands to serve,
We thank you, Lord.

For health and strength to work, and leisure to rest and play,
We thank you, Lord.

For the brave and courageous, who are patient in suffering
and faithful in adversity,
We thank you, Lord.

For all valiant seekers after truth, liberty, and justice,
We thank you, Lord.

For the communion of saints, in all times and places,
We thank you, Lord.

Above all, we give you thanks for the great mercies and
promises given to us in Christ Jesus our Lord;
To him be praise and glory, with you, O Father, and the
Holy Spirit, now and for ever. Amen.

From the Book of Common Prayer, A Litany of Thanksgiving

What is the best prayer?  Since prayer is really talking to God, the best prayer is a simple audible conversation with God.

1.   Begin with praising Him for who He is (All powerful, Almighty, Provider, Healer).

2.   Thank Him for what He has done for you/your loved ones/our nation (a new baby, a new marriage, a healed grandparent, safely bringing some troops home).

3.   Ask Him for blessings (continued protection for our troops, restoration of the Philippines, heal a loved one, provide a job for a friend in need).

For the Kids

Kids sometimes embrace conversing with God best.  You may set their special table in a way to draw out their Godly desires.

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Visit itswrittenonthewalls.blogspot.com

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Visit lifewiththecrustcutoff.com

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Visit mirabellecreations.com

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Visit everydaycheer.com

Happy Thanksgiving!

Mary Ellen

Giving Thanks: Dressing (your table and you!)

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Thanksgiving is next week, giving little time to even utter the words “Thank you”.  Whether you are hosting the Thursday meal, or going as a guest to another table, you will want to give proper thanks for those who surround you.  Here are some ways to convey your love in how you dress your table, yourself, and offer hostess gifts.

Dressing your table

Just as dressing with your wardrobe signifies respect, reverence, or excitement for a person or event, so it goes with how you dress your table for your guests.  This does not mean it has to be fancy to convey respect, reverence or excitement, but it should be special, well planned, and creative.  A thanksgiving celebration at the ranch with a tartan plaid throw as a table cloth would set a special picnic feel, and lends itself to all sorts of shelf laden accessories to add to the personality of the hostess through her table.  Or, take a plate of your fall china to the florist to create the perfect centerpiece for your table, along with family heirloom serving pieces to serve the meal.  The fruits of your garden serve as wonderful party favors your guests cannot buy themselves!  A small posey of flowers at each  place setting would be a lovely remembrance of the special day in your home.   See more holiday tablescapes on my Pinterest board.

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Tartan throw as tablecloth
from Pinterest

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Autumn tablescape
Texas publication

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Autumn lunch place setting
Texas publication

Dressing yourself

How you present yourself sets the tone of how you feel about the occasion, about those with whom you will dine, and the respect you afford to each.  If the meal has been announced to be casual, dress casually, but with some flair.  Even at the ranch one can take a western scarf to tie around your neck, pony tail, or waist to elevate your reverence for the occasion.  For a more traditional affair, add something more special than you would to the office, a charity luncheon, or  church.  Your hostess, has gone to a tremendous amount of effort in preparing her table, her house, your meal, and will clean it all up once you leave.  Give her the respect due to her by spending some extra time in choosing an outfit, finishing your hair, preparing your nails, etc.  Think of your hostess as the Queen!  Prepare yourself, your clothes, makeup, and jewelry as if you were, indeed, having lunch at Buckingham Palace.  If you are the hostess, dress for the occasion you set forth.  Give yourself the time necessary so that you enjoy the day along with your guests.  See more Kate looks.

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cute jacket with jeans makes for a “dressed up” feel at the casual Thanksgiving table.
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The extra bling adds to the casual ranch jeans, and you can take it off before the afternoon hunt.
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Tailored blouse and skirt, probably has on her signature nude pumps!
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To church or an elegant celebration, this is a perfect nod of thanks to your hostess.
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Love the hat! The dress and heels certainly show your reverence.
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Hostess gift, don’t walk through the door without one!

As we have established, your hostess has knocked herself out for you!  Bring her something to enhance her holiday experience, and do not bring anything to add to, or worse, conflict with her plan for this day.  Check out dianegottsman.com for more hostess gift etiquette.  Respect for your hostess’ time is shown in your punctuality.  Do not be late!  Only the Queen can rationalize that “she is never late, everyone else is simply early”!  (quote from the Princess Diaries)

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A gift that had to be ordered ahead of time is most thoughtful.
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thingsremembered.com

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For the culinary queen! Rosemary “trees” are easily found this time of year. Dress it up, and go.
Pinterest

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Your hostess may need this after you leave!
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Remember, you and all those around you are royalty in the kingdom of God.  Give Him thanks first, then your hostess.

Psalm 100:4-5 “Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise to his name.  For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.”

Giving Thanks: To Our Veterans

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November 11, today, is Veteran’s Day.  Although World War I, “the Great War”, officially ended on June 28, 1919 at the signing of the Treaty of Versailles, fighting between the Allies and Germany ceased (armistice) “at the eleventh hour, of the eleventh month” of that year, 1919.  To pay Respect to those who fought in what was thought at that time to be “the war to end all wars”, President Wilson signed a proclamation creating Armistice Day as November 11.  In 1954 Congress changed the name from “Armistice Day” to “Veteran’s Day” in order to include those who fought in World War II and Korea in the day of Respect.  Today, we have many more war heroes to honor.

Great Britain instituted “Armed Forces Day” in February 2006 as a day to honor her veterans.  Military honors given by the Crown have deeper roots.  Queen Elizabeth II, having served in World War II as a mechanic of all things, has a first hand glimpse at the dedication and sacrifices military veterans give to their beloved country.

How can we Live Royally on Veteran’s Day?  Unlike Queen Elizabeth II, we do not have authority to give honorary medals.  But, Today, we can express our gratitude to a Veteran personally.  If you have a family member, friend, neighbor, or co-worker who has served in our military, write them a note Today!  Tell this person what their specific service means to you, how you value it, or how you give thanks for the result of freedom.  Because Today is the day, and mail will not even go out Today, do call this special person in support of how this day has been set apart.  Ask this person if they would share with you what their service means to them.  Your interest in their work is a gift of Respect.  Receiving a note in a few days will be that extra pat on the back your Veteran richly deserves.

What you write is important, and equally so is the paper on which you write your grateful words!  See my Pinterest “Veteran’s Day Note Card” board for some beautiful Crane note cards, as well as some whimsical ones from Etsy.  As lovely as these note cards are, the finest gift of a note you could give would be a hand drawn card from a child.  If you have a child in your house, or in your neighborhood, set aside a little bit of time to tell them about Veteran’s Day, the Veteran in your life, and have the child draw a patriotic card for this hero in your midst.  The sentiment and the implied education to the next generation will mean more to this hero than we can imagine.

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Anchor Note from Crane.com

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Hand Engraved Fleur de lis Note from Crane.com
A nod to the Treaty of Versailles

God Bless America Flag Boxed Blank Note Cards from Etsy.com

God Bless America Flag Boxed Blank Note Cards from Etsy.com