(http://nationspeoplesyouandme.blogspot.com/)


Okay, it is near Thanksgiving 2018 ...and another story comes to mind:

This story took place a long, long time ago ...but, not so far back as when people feared to sail the ocean, as this story crosses the Atlantic to America, and begins not that long after they began to settle here.

Their eight year old daughter has just returned from school, during a time when certain things could be discussed in school.

Rebecca hugs her mom, who is preparing the evening meal: "I love you, Mom."

Mom: "I love you too, Becky."

Rebecca: "I think I will start my homework now."

Mom: "That sounds like a good idea."

An hour later, Dad appears in Rebecca's bedroom doorway: "Becky ...it's time to eat.  You can finish your schoolwork afterwards."

Rebecca: "Okay, Dad."

He had returned from work earlier than usual.  Rebecca didn't understand much about dad's work, and each time she asked and tried to understand ...well, it was just too confusing for an eight year old.  Mom had said that dad was a CEO, but didn't attempt to explain the details of what that was.

The meal proceeds mostly in silence, after the lengthy and formal prayer.  The only sound is from the loud, energetic shoveling of food into dad's mouth ...along with the aggressive chewing and smacking of lips after each gulp of milk in an attempt to wash down that insurmountable amount of food.

Conversation is only initiated as dad begins to reload, heaping more food on his plate.

Dad: "So, Becky ...what did you study in school today?"

Rebecca: "We talked about God."

Dad: "What did your teacher say about God?"

Rebecca: "She said that God loves us so much.  She also said that ...that so much, was so much, that Jesus came for there to be a way to heaven.  And she said that Jesus died, so we can have eternal life."

Dad: "Is that all she said?"

Rebecca: "Well, class wasn't over that quickly ...she did say more, but it's so hard to understand, and remember.  But, it sounded really good."

Dad: "Did she say anything about the plates?"

Rebecca: "Not today ...but, another day she said we should always finish everything on our plates.  And see ...didn't I do real good?"

Dad: "No ...yes, you did well with finishing up, but, no, that wasn't what I was talking about."

Mom: "Please excuse me, but we are having pie for dessert tonight, and it's not quite done.  And you know how fussy I am about my pies.  So, if you don't mind, I'm going to babysit it ...so it can come out just right."

Dad: "By all means.  And as I was saying, Becky, your mom and I have been privileged ...or rather, I was privileged to have been given some plates, steel plates. Or you can say steel tablets ...but, I call them plates.  On those steel plates, were written the divine words which your mom and I adhere to."

Rebecca: "Oh, adhere ...yes, I remember, it's like the glue we use to fix furniture. And we stick to what we believe.  But, what's divine?"

Dad: "Divine means it comes from God."

Rebecca: "Where are the plates?"

Dad: "They were taken up to heaven."

Mom doesn't say anything, she just smiles.  She imagines how her husband would react if she came back to the table and told him that the pie had been taken up to heaven ...and that only she had been able to taste it.

Rebecca: "You mean we were given plates, then they were taken away from us?"

Dad: "Not we, and us ...just me!  I was given the plates."

Rebecca: "Why were they taken away from you?"

Dad: "I was finished with them."

Rebecca: "You finished them?"

Dad: "I was finished with them.  I read them, and I took notes."

Rebecca: "Were you reading those notes the other night?"

Dad: "Yes ...and I am sorry that I scolded you.  I realize it was my fault for staying up so late, and carelessly leaving my notes in the kitchen."

In the adjacent room, mom again smiles.  Her husband hadn't carelessly left any of last week's pie.  Though he had left the evidence ...of crumbs, and an unwashed pie tin.

Rebecca: "That's okay, daddy ...sometimes I need scolding, but I wasn't able to read any of your secret language anyway."

Dad: "That's okay ...you didn't know what it was.  When your mom first saw it, she just thought it was some messy scribbles.  But, without the gift ...that's what it would appear to be.  To me, it was a perfectly arranged divine code."

Mom tries not to grin ...but, she thinks of the special arrangement of underwear and socks he always leaves on the bedroom floor, which only she can interpret.  Her hardy husband, the CEO ...Claimed Enlightened One.  Too bad he can't be served some humble pie.

Rebecca: "Dad, are you going to take your notes ...and type them, so other people, I mean, so all of us can understand?"

Dad: "Yes, that is my goal ...to put it in human language.  But, it is very difficult to put into mere words ...that which only the truly enlightened can understand."

Mom takes the pie to the table ...and watches, without comment, as her husband enhales half the pie.

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I am so thankful for the loving God that we have ---and for all the effort that was put forth by those He used, to preserve and translate His Word ---so, we can read and understand what it says. Without the Bible, how could we endure our sanity ...in a world that puts forth so much that is hard to consume.

Happy Thanksgiving to all ....and I hope we all have time to reflect on all that He has given us, and all that He has done.  Never could we express with appreciation, the equivalent of love that God has shown us.  Yes, we need to aspire to be a very thankful people.