“Tradition is the living faith of the dead, traditionalism is the dead faith of the living. And, I suppose I should add, it is traditionalism that gives tradition such a bad name.” ― Jaroslav Jan Pelikan

You did land on the right site. Maybe. We will see. But hello and welcome to Tuesday, November 26, 2013, where you caught me having one of those Thanksgiving Day walks down memory lane and flashbacks all combined into blurred and teary eyed images. My first thoughts are of our family gatherings back in our hometown. That typically leads to my granddad, Paw Paw Mac, as we called him. He dearly loved hosting the family gathering 'eatin meetin' for the holiday celebration. He didn't do any cooking but he did his part in helping out wherever he was needed. He also soaked up the visiting. Kids were scattered everywhere from infants to teenagers with their girl or boyfriends along with all the older story tellers covering everything from politics to deer hunting. The kitchen was loaded up with ladies getting everything put together. The coffee was hot and it along with the heat of the fireplace couldn't compete with the warmth of our togetherness. Special. You betcha! And, he dearly loved every bit of it. I can never think of him without the Vince Gill song, 'Go Rest High on That Mountain' coming to mind:

Verse:
I know your life
On earth was troubled
And only you could know the pain
You weren't afraid to face the devil
You were no stranger to the rain

Chorus:
 Go rest high on that mountain
Son, you work on earth is done
Go to heaven a shoutin'
Love for the Father and Son

Verse:
Oh, how we cried the day you left us
We gathered round your grave to grieve
I wish I could see the angels faces
When they hear your sweet voice sing

Paw Paw couldn't sing a lick but that didn't keep him from making a joyful noise. I just know that his was a sweet voice to our Savior. This week we will continue to attempt to do many things the same way they did. We are not ashamed of our heritage. In fact, we are rightly proud of those, on both sides, that did their best to shape and guide our lives. Some try to tell us these traditions are so yesterday. Really? I would hope so because that's exactly what they are: So yesterday! We don't live in the past, we honor it and those we cherish in the way we attempt to hand down those wonderful times of fellowship to our offspring. When we gather on Thursday there will no doubt be some statements made that will reflect on common things spoken by those who preceded us. My wife's dad used to always preference each meal by saying, "You see what we've got." I've repeated that many times myself and I've heard our eldest son do the same. Isn't that a little whacky? It might be but I can tell you this, typically when you do see what we've got, well, you pretty much lose interest in being critical. I can hardly wait. Yum Yum.

How about some very cold for Thanksgiving? To me, that only enhances it more. I know. Many prefer some Gulf balmy warm winds blowing. Some actually relocated into this area to avoid the cold weather. They would just as soon find themselves in Bermuda shorts and sandals. I don't even know if they still call them Bermuda shorts. And, if it is really cold it does tend to coop up the kiddos in the house all day. However, I can only give it to you from my way of seeing it, and I do think the cooler weather is a plus. We will take it whatever way it comes and pray God's blessings on the day. We had a pretty good preview this past Sunday as our local fellowship all gathered around the table to share in our collective version of a Thanksgiving meal. Seeing everyone enjoying food, fellowship, and yes, family, because that's what we are, was very uplifting and a cause for giving thanks to God. I do hope that you will take some time to count your blessings along with the benefits that our great God has given to us all. (The 103rd Division of the Psalms.) Amen.   ...More later.