Giving Thanks [v118]

DECEMBER 2008

GIVING THANKS
This month will be a little different, in that I put together a ‘thank you’ for my customers and business associates for their association with my company—and I think you would enjoy the things I gathered and put on a web page.

There’s a bit about the Pilgrims, some fun facts and stories about Thanksgiving, and how some of the Detroit Lions, after their Thanksgiving game, go to a mission to serve the homeless a full-course dinner.

Enjoy…and remember the ‘true meaning’ of Thanksgiving—God’s ‘provision’ in your life!

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FIVE KERNELS (Pilgrim Poem)
– The first kernel reminds us of the autumn beauty around us
– The second kernel reminds us of our love for each other
– The third kernel reminds us of God’s love and care for us
– The fourth kernel reminds us of our friends, especially our Native American brothers
– The fifth kernel reminds us that we are a free people

Click the following link to find out a bit more about the poem and the First Thanksgiving:
http://www.4VIS.com/thanksgiving.htm#5Kernels

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FUN THANKSGIVING FACTS

The National Turkey Federation estimated that 46 million turkeys—one fifth of the annual total of 235 million consumed in the United States in 2007—were eaten at Thanksgiving. In a survey conducted by the National Turkey Federation, nearly 88 percent of Americans said they eat turkey at Thanksgiving. The average weight of turkeys purchased for Thanksgiving is 15 pounds (the Guiness record is 86 pounds!).

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Despite record-high gas prices (more than $3.00 per gallon) in 2007, the American Automobile Association (AAA) estimated that 38.7 million Americans would travel 50 miles or more from home for the Thanksgiving holiday, a slight increase (1.5 percent) over the previous year.

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President Franklin D. Roosevelt restored Thursday before last of November as Thanksgiving Day in the year 1939. He did so to make the Christmas shopping season longer and thus stimulate the economy of the state.

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Click the following link for more fun facts:
http://www.4VIS.com/thanksgiving.htm#Facts

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NEAT THANKSGIVING STORIES

“Stuffed” Turkey
The turkey shot out of the oven and rocketed into the air;
It knocked every plate off the table and partly demolished a chair.
It ricocheted into a corner and burst with a deafening boom,
Then splattered all over the . . .

Click the following link to finish the poem:
http://www.4VIS.com/thanksgiving.htm#Facts

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Thanksgiving “Weather Forecast”
Turkeys will thaw in the morning, then warm in the oven to an afternoon high near 190F. The kitchen will turn hot and humid, and if you bother the cook, be ready for a severe squall or cold shoulder.

During the late afternoon and evening, the cold front of a knife will slice through the turkey, causing an accumulation of . . .

Click the following link to finish the story:
http://www.4VIS.com/thanksgiving.htm#Facts

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The Top 10 Thanksgiving-themed Movies (Parody)

10. To Kill A Walking Bird
9. My Best Friend’s Dressing
8. Casserolablanca
7. The Fabulous Baster Boys
6. 12 Hungry Men
5. Silence of the Yams
4. All the President’s Menu …

Click the following link to find out the top three movies:
http://www.4VIS.com/thanksgiving.htm#Facts

If you would like to investigate further what it means to have an “attitude of gratitude”, visit the following link:
http://www.thesearchformeaning.net/sfm_pres/sp_q11_d4_1of10.html .

[Excerpts from: Various authors when not noted on the web page].

May you and yours have a blessed Thanksgiving and a ‘bountiful’ year to come!
Mark

LIFE’S DEEP THOUGHTS (v118) for DECEMBER 2008
If you have a ‘neat’ story or some thoughts about an issue or current event that you would like me to try to respond to, I would be glad to give it a try…so, send them to me at: mbesh@comcast.net

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PAUSE AND GIVE THANKS
Wherever you find yourself today,
Whether filled with joy or wrapped in pain,
Remember to pause a moment and give thanks.

For no other event in our history and time,
Can change our lives like the birth of Christ—so Divine.
His love never failing, and His Presence always near
The greatest wonder in Heaven on Christmas did appear.

God’s gift full of grace that brings life, love, and hope,
Can be unwrapped by us all – changing life’s scope.
For when we invite His life into our hearts,
No love is greater than that He imparts.

So wherever you find yourself today,
Remember to pause and give thanks,
For He is the Truth and the Way!
[Carolyn Lynn Schwartz]

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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.
[Joanna Fuchs]

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DEEP THOUGHT:
“As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.”
[John Fitzgerald Kennedy]

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Hope you enjoyed some of these insights—share them with your friends and colleagues—so we can have a larger ‘pool’ to receive from, and more to share with! Also, remember to include your name as the “source,” if some of this wisdom is of your doing—I would like to give credit where credit is due!

“Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am” [John 14:1-3].

Mark

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Disclaimer: All the above jokes & inspirations are obtained from various sources and copyright are used when known. Other than our name and headers, we do not own the copyright to any of the materials sent to this list. We just want to spread the ministry of God’s love and cheerfulness throughout the world.

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