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“Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise; give thanks to Him and praise His name.”

            You may recognize that verse of scripture. It’s the fourth verse from the great Psalm 100 and it’s an appropriate place to begin as we aim toward that most wonderful and American of holidays…Thanksgiving Day.

            I’m thankful for the folks at church who have arrived these past few Sundays and saying a version of this, “I love this cool weather.” We’ve had plenty of warm, or even hot, days this year and, since it’s Thanksgiving week, it’s a good time to wear a sweater or light jacket.

            When I was a young boy Thanksgiving Day, before the bountiful feasts would begin, it was our tradition to get out early and do a little hunting. I had a single-shot twenty gauge Remington and birds were never as safe as when I carried it into the harvested corn fields. As it is said, “I couldn’t hit the broad side of a barn if I was in it!”

            I was blessed to have both sets of grandparents near. We kept a schedule as to which set had the first feast of the day and which one would have the latter. I’m thankful that I was thin as a rail and could eat all I wanted and not gain a pound. That blessing has long passed and, now, if I as so much look at the cornbread dressing, I’ll have to loosen my belt!

            Thank the Lord for that feast, though. Even today, my precious 94 year old mother will ask, “Lynn what dish do you want me to prepare for your Thanksgiving?” Momma is past those days of cooking the meal, but I’m thankful that she has passed the culinary mantle to my sister, Kathy, who wears it well.

            My favorite dish has always been the cornbread dressing and I’m thankful that at our Sutton Chapel Church, Gladys Davis makes delicious cornbread dressing and she doesn’t wait for Thanksgiving. We have a feast every Fourth Sunday and there is always a big dish of her cornbread dressing.

            Both of my grandmothers were talented “cooks,” as we might call them here in the South. They might be called “chefs” in the more elite places to eat, but give me their dinner tables any day. I have had the pleasure of eating in fancy restaurants; even had a dinner with gold-plated cutlery, but the food couldn’t hold a candle to Granny’s.

            Food isn’t the only blessing at Thanksgiving. In fact, food is wonderful, but the real thanksgiving blessing is when the family sits around the house laughing and talking about what “used to be.” I’m thankful for that and wonder if our twenty-first century children will understand the joy of a loving family that communicates with laughter and words instead of texts?

            Here are a few more things for which I am very thankful. First and foremost, I am thankful for a God who so loved this world that He gave His only Son that all of us who believe will not perish, but have eternal life. I am thankful to have been a farm boy, with a daddy who worked hard and taught me the same thing. Thankful for a mother who still lives and loves. For a wife who is beautiful in more ways than I can count.

            I’m thankful for all my family and that includes not just those who share my DNA, but also who share faith and a love for life. I’m thankful for the good health I have enjoyed. And, finally, I’m thankful for the privilege of writing this column and for everyone who reads it. Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!