Just Around The Corner

Have you ever thought about how hard it might be to learn our American language? Thanksgiving is "just around the corner". What corner? What's the difference between "cattycorner and cattywampus"? "May your days be bright and your Christmases be white" Bright and white? Or like yesterday when I asked Matt to "swing by" and "look at" the "SoilTec" on the Honda.

If Thanksgiving is just around the corner, Christmas is just around the next corner after that. Last evening our community of Oskaloosa "turned on the Square lights". I think that was going to be Byron and Deb's job this year. Congratulations. Well deserved. Thanks for the picture.

"In the old days" after our "cribs" were full, we would put up "pickets"(temporary storage)  for the extra crop. Harvest usually lasted until Thanksgiving. I remember Jan and I going out on a snowy Thanksgiving afternoon and trying to finish up on the north Edel 40. Thanks for the picture.

As we were finishing up "smoke", Kasey was "clear out in the boondocks" and had a "tandem" break. Thanks to Andrew for coming out "after hours" and "got him going".  Thanks for the picture Kasey.

"One" always likes to get equipment cleaned up and put away before it gets "colder than an Eskimo's outhouse". The graincarts are finished and we have one combine "to go".

Yesterday, "at the crack of dawn" BJ moved his "hoe" home to work on "projects". Yea Cassia! Thanks for the picture BJ.

"Being thankful" is an emotion. "Giving thanks" is an action. Children are always good at "living" their program words with actions. Jan and I attended the Pella Christian Grade School program Tuesday evening and the Oskaloosa Christian Grade School program on Friday evening. "Kudos" teachers.

Gratitude is the reason for Thanksgiving. Christmas programs, parties, presents, and get-togethers are just around the corner. We remind each other to remember "the reason for the season". However we often "get in a rut" when we think about the "gift" we have been given. The gospel can be described as "Guilt", "Grace", and "Gratitude", or "Sin", "Salvation", and "Service". Because of Sin, "life sucks". Because of Salvation, we "look to Christ". That's "Love the Lord with all our heart". However Salvation and Heaven can be a selfish gospel if we stop there. Because of Gratitude we "Love our neighbor as much or more than we love ourselves". That, friends, is the "rest of the story".