A Few of FR's Finest....Every Day - HAPPY THANKSGIVING!....11-28 thru 12-01-02

Billie and Mama_Bear

[Mama_Bear]

As we come together with family and friends and bow our heads in thanksgiving, let us remember our servicemen and women who are far from home during the holidays. In remembering them, let us also give thanks for the sacrifices of their families who will have an empty chair at their Thanksgiving table this year. Let us be ever mindful of our freedoms and the price that has been paid, and continues to be paid, in order to preserve them.

This Thanksgiving Prayer, by Kathryn Kay, is thought to be the poem which inspired President John F. Kennedy's most memorable words:

"Ask not what your country can do for you,
ask what you can do for your country."

Thanksgiving Prayer

God, ev'ry year about this time,
according to routine,
I've bowed my head in the accepted way
and offered thanks, like some well synchronized machine
that prayed because it was the time to pray.
But, God, this year is different, this year I seem to feel
America's Thanksgiving is my own,
that in my nation's gratitude I have a part that's real,
a part that until now I've never known.
And, God, this year a deep humility has filled my heart,
a newborn pride rings true thruout my soul
because I do belong, because I have and am a part,
a tiny part of one tremendous whole.

I think I know the feeling of those first Americans
who said, "We must give thanks for this, our land."
I cherish now the rights that are each woman's, ev'ry man's,
the rights I've just begun to understand.
This year my heart has learned
what all Thanksgiving Days are for,
true thankfulness at last I realize,
but, God, I'm sorry that it took the tragedy of war
in other lands to open up my eyes.
Again I bow my head but this time deep within me stirs
a mighty prayer, part of one vast design,
"God, help me make America as proud that I am hers—
as I am proud, and grateful she is mine!"

"Thanksgiving Prayer" was published
in Kay's book "If the Shoe Fits" in early November, 1941.

In 1789, the father of our country, George Washington,
issued the first official Thanksgiving Day proclamation.

"Whereas it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God --- to obey His will --- to be grateful for His benefits --- and humbly to implore His protection and favour: And whereas both Houses have, by their joint committee, requested me "to recommend to the people of the United States a DAY of PUBLIC THANKSGIVING and PRAYER, to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favours of Almighty God, especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness:"

NOW THEREFORE, I do recommend and assign THURSDAY, the TWENTY-SIXTH DAY of NOVEMBER next, to be devoted by the people of these States, to the service of that great and glorious Being, who is the beneficent Author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be That we may then all unite in rendering unto Him our sincere and humble thanks for His kind care and protection of the people of this country previous to their becoming a nation; for the signal and manifold mercies, and the favourable interpositions of His Providence in the course and conclusion of the late war; --- for the great degree of tranquility, union, and plenty, which we have since enjoyed; --- for the peaceable and rational manner in which we have been enabled to establish Constitutions of Government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national one now lately instituted; --- for the civil and religious Liberty with which we are blessed, and the means we have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge; --- and, in general, for all the great and various favours which He hath been pleased to confer upon us.

And also, That we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations, and beseech Him to pardon our national and other transgressions; --- to enable us all, whether in publick or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually; to render our national government a blessing to all the people, by constantly being a government of wise, just, and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed; to protect and guide all sovereigns and nations (especially such as have shewn kindness unto us); and to bless them with good government, peace, and concord; to promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the increase of science among them and us; and generally, to grant unto all mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as He alone knows to be best.

GIVEN under my hand, at the city of New York, the third day of October, in the year of our Lord, one thousand seven hundred and eighty-nine.

(signed) G. Washington"

Thanksgiving is a time for counting blessings,
for drawing near to family and friends,
and for sharing the bounty of God's gifts.

Our cup runneth over; for this,
Lord, we give thanks this day.

During this Thanksgiving weekend, if you have a moment, please sit down at our table and share what you are especially thankful for, what Thanksgiving means to you, or a special holiday story, recipe or memory. There is always plenty of room at our holiday table for our Finest FRiends.

Turkey In The Straw
Over The River And Through The Woods
Colors Of The Wind
Old Home Place
Amazing Grace
Give Thanks




Stop by and say hello when you can.
Our regular "A Few of FR's Finest" thread will return on Monday.

THIS WEEK'S THREADS

11-25-02 The Guild
11-26-02 wirestripper
11-27-02 Carlo3b



Opinions by our own 'King of Ping' The guy's good, folks!

Thanks, Mixer!

     1) Click on the graphic to open the Calendar.
     2) Once there you can click on any month and even click to the right to go into next year. Once you are in the month that you joined FR you will need to click on the number in the calendar and then an add item screen will come up.
     3) In the next box enter your name in the "Calendar Text" field and then click on submit.
     4) If any of the screens fail to load simply click on refresh in your browser and that will usually fix it.
     5) If all else fails or simply if you want me to do this for you send me an FReepmail and I will gladly do it for you. ~ Mixer

A reminder from Billie...

[mlmr]

We will all be there at 12 noon, instead of 11:45am as we thought. This will give you the additional time to boil another potato or something to accommodate the additional happy face that may arrive. I must confess, I am really hungry, and so grateful that you are so gracious to open your home to the thousands of Freepers that didn't want to dirty their kitchen this grand Holiday. I sure hope we make this a tradition.. Bless you... snicker

Actually we would have welcomed company...and the more the merrier!

[Pippin]

HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYBODY!!!

This includes all who post and lurk on this and all other threads! :^)

Happy anniversary Jim Robinson!

[lodwick]

Hey Dave - playing ketchup here...great to see you on this special day.

Wishing all the very best for you and yours. JL

[Mama_Bear]

Thanks so much for coming by and posting your Thanksgiving wishes.

Have a very Happy Thanksgiving.

[MistyCA]

WOW! I had to share this with all of you even though I am so stuffed right now it is hard to concentrate on typing!

As you know, I am away from the kids this year...the first time in their lives! We are 2,500 miles away taking care of my mom and uncle. I thought of making the traditional Thanksgiving dinner but then decided that it is a good time to just break all tradition and try some new recipes! Of course, this revelation came to me while I was lurking on the FF thread with Carlo3b in the spotlight!

CARLO! Your turkey recipe was the greatest! I also made the stuffing and the yams and apples! It was all excellent! But I am going to be raving about the orange/maple turkey marinate forever! Thank you so much for sharing it, and thanks for the inspiration!

OK...I am ready for a nap now! Hope you all had a great Thanksgiving and a wonderful day. And trust me....if you didn't have carlo's marinade on the turkey, you were really missing something! :)

[MistyCA]

Hi! Nice thread! I love the picture with the Pledge! It's so special! Hope you had a great Thanksgiving. I tried Carlo's recipes and it was fantastic! :)

[Mama_Bear]

Hi! Nice thread! I love the picture with the Pledge! It's so special!

Hi Misty. Glad you have enjoyed the thread.

Hope you had a great Thanksgiving.

We did. There is just four of us this year (compared to 18 that we had for dinner last year), so we went out for a Thanksgiving buffett. It was excellent. I also made a turkey here at home, with dressing and a couple pumpkin pies, so we can have turkey sandwiches and pie this evening. I LOVE turkey sandwiches. My favorite part of Thanksgiving. :-)

Hope you and yours had a nice day too.

[Mama_Bear]

if you didn't have carlo's marinade on the turkey, you were really missing something! :)

LOL! You sold me. I will definitely try it. Maybe for Christmas. :-)

[carlo3b]

I watched the Cowboys game... Sheeesh
I hope you had a wonderful day. I have a confession, my family has a food fetish, we are all cooks, and without exception we pride our own recipes as the very BEST. As a result, not only do we eat and cook everything all morning and early afternoon, but after dinner we then sit around and talk about it the rest of the day... LOL

[carlo3b]

I hope you and .45MAN had a wonderful day. We did... how about another piece of pie? Ha!

[carlo3b]

Here is a little something for your dinner tomorrow;

You Never Would Have Thought Of This Leftover Turkey Dinner

• 4 slices turkey breast, cooked
• 3 tablespoons sesame oil
• 1 cup sesame seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 3 tablespoons peanut oil
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 1/2 tablespoon sesame oil
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce

1) Brush turkey to taste with sesame oil and dredge in mixture of sesame seeds, salt, black pepper and cayenne pepper.
2) In skillet, sauté slices in heated peanut oil until brown on both sides.
3) Remove to platter. Deglaze skillet with garlic, sesame oil, and soy sauce.
4) Pour sauce over turkey... Yummmmmmmmmm, and it's easy, if you have the ingredients.... LOL
 
 
 
 

[lodwick]

Foodophiles.

Thanks for all the great receipes, hints and suggestions. Good job yesterday.

[carlo3b]

Hey big boy, any leftovers????

You've Got To Be Kiddin Real Turkey Chili

• 1 cup chopped green bell pepper
• 1 1/4 cups chopped onion
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 tablespoons oil
• 2 cans (15 1/2 oz each) kidney beans, drained
• 1 can (28 ounces) stewed tomatoes, crushed
• 1 cup red wine
• 3 cups cooked turkey, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1 tablespoon cilantro or 1 teaspoon dried
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

1) Place a 3 quart saucepan over medium high heat, sauté bell pepper, onion and garlic in oil for 5 minutes until vegetables are tender crisp.
2) Add beans, tomatoes, wine, turkey, chili powder, cilantro, red pepper, oregano and salt. Increase heat to high and bring mixture to a boil; reduce heart to low and simmer mixture, uncovered, for 25 minutes.
3) Garnish with additional chopped onion and/or cilantro, shredded cheddar cheese, and crushed Fritos OHMYGAWD
Makes 6 servings.
 
 
 

[carlo3b]

Hope you had a great Thanksgiving day.. and indeed, yesterday's honor was awesome... LOL

[Mama_Bear]

Happy Thanksgiving to you, Pip. Hope you had a nice day.

How is the move to the new apartment coming along?

[MeekOneGOP]

Happy Thanksgiving, Meek. Hope you and Ming survive the parade...

Thanks. And LOL !! I love that picture !

[MeekOneGOP]

LOL !! Love your Turkey recipe!

[MeekOneGOP]

Thank you FRiend. I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving. Sorry for the delayed reply. I was out most all day at my cousins for Thanksgiving. It was a beautiful day in North Central Texas !!

[Salvation]

thanks for the thread today, Mama_Bear.

Here's a cute little prayer technique for children that I came across.

The Five Fingers of Prayer

1. Your thumb is nearest to you so begin by praying for those closest to you; they are the easiest to remember.

2. The next finger is the pointing finger. Pray for those who teach, instruct, and heal - this would include teachers, doctors and ministers. They need support and wisdom to point people in the right direction.

3. The next finger is the tallest finger. It reminds us of our leaders. Pray for our politicians and the leaders of our country, leaders of business and industry, and administrators. These are the people who shape our nation and guide public opinion. They need God's guidance the most.

4. The fourth is the ring finger - this is the weakest finger and the only one without an independent tendon - it should remind us to pray for those who are weak, in trouble or in pain. They need our prayers day and night.

5. Last, the little finger, the smallest of all. This is where we should place ourselves in relation to God and others. "The least shall be the greatest among you." Your pinkie finger should remind you to pray for yourself. By the time you have prayed for all the other groups, your own needs will have been put into perspective and you will be able to pray for yourself more effectively.

[Salvation]

NEED A LIFT?

Father Kevin Sullivan, while serving a church in Decatur, Illinois, called the congregation's children to come forward for a special children's liturgy. Surrounded by one hundred of the church's youngsters, Fr. Sullivan said this to the parents: "I'm thankful for two things. I'm thankful for all these wonderful children with us here today. I love them all. And I'm also
thankful for the gift of celibacy."

There is ALWAYS something to be thankful for, and those who will look for reasons to give thanks will tap into one of life's most powerful emotions. For a thankful attitude can lift a life --
spiritually, mentally and even physically -- like nothing else.

One woman was asked why her hospitalized husband, who had been noticeably discouraged the day before, now seemed so much better. She explained that he began to immediately improve after something had happened the day before. She had been sitting by her husband's bedside, casually touching a pearl necklace that he had given her years before, when a thought came to her.

"Mac," she said, "let's start thinking of every wonderful experience we've had in our lives, one for each of these pearls."

They started way back when they were first in love and that was the first pearl. Then they went along to their wedding day and then to their first baby. They continued recalling jobs, friends
and everything else for which they were grateful, all the way down the string of pearls. "When we finished with the last pearl," she said, "all the dark shadows had gone and happiness reigned in our minds and in our hearts." This, she said, was the turning point in her husband's recovery.

The late Dr. Norman Vincent Peale, who first told this story (IN GOD WE TRUST; Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1994) said, "You, too, can shift from gloominess to happiness, from dullness to vibrancy, from boredom to excitement. Wake up, change your thinking, and see how good life can be!"

Do you need a lift? Take some time to simply recall, one by one, all the good times in your life. Make a list. Let yourself smile -- and laugh! -- and feel the pleasure you felt then. You may do this exercise alone or share it with somebody, but the more often you do it, the more you will remember. And the stronger those memories will become. It's simple. It's powerful. It's effective. And it just may be the lift you need.