Thankful for my mistake

Pretty much the moment my alarm went off it hit me that 6 is 1 hour too soon to put the turkey in. Thankfully I was a double idiot in that I had my alarm set for 5:50. As though I were going to get the turkey out of the brine, rinsed, dried, oiled, seasoned & in the oven in 10 minutes. Can you tell I’ve never done this?

Also Thankfully, it’s really only 10 minutes earlier than I usually wake anyway, so not a big deal (other than having stayed up too late to watch a stupid movie i should’ve just given up on halfway through). Had I set the alarm for 5:15 (ya know…giving time to actually GET OUT OF BED too) like I ’should’ have if it was REALLY supposed to go in at 6….i would’ve been a bit frustrated w/myself.

Anyhow, happy Thankfulness day.

In other news, the kids and I have been learning hymns in the morning together. By hymns I mean in the past 2.5 weeks we’re still on Holy Holy Holy. They’re long! I think I might move one b/c they we at least have the first 2 maybe 3 stanza’s out of 5 down. For the sake of variety I think it’s time. Anyhow, yesterday (again w/my amazing forethought) I thought, “hey, maybe we should find a hymn that focuses on thankfulness”. I flipped through the book I’m using as a hymnal & almost immediately landed on “O Come all Ye Thankful Come.”

Since I’ve never in my life heard or heard of this song, I had to turn to the internet for help (the book doesn’t have music, just lyrics). After a cursory search this was the one I found with the least muddled melody. Organs are cool & all (ok I admit it..I usually don’t really like them. Sorry ryan I still love you though), but they really are hard to follow when you aren’t familiar with the tune. The kids liked it since it was kids, but I still couldn’t get a hang of that melodic line. Hey, maybe I should’ve learned it a week ago BEFORE introducing it to the kids! There’s a thought! Ha. I had visions of us singing it around the table before or after ‘dinner’. Perhaps we’ll just play it on the ipod instead. Bench it for next year.

I am inclined to nit-pick the first stanza on a “need vs. want” diatribe, but ya know what? God DOES provide my wants. Honestly, darn near everything I have, including an amazingly patient, longsuffering husband & 2 kids (and a feast set up for today) are not “needs”. And yes, I’m so thankful for them. I wish I could say I always am. Mark 9:24 seems to mark most of what i do.

1

Come, ye thankful people, come,
Raise the song of harvest home;
All is safely gathered in,
Ere the winter storms begin.
God our Maker doth provide
For our wants to be supplied;
Come to God’s own temple, come,
Raise the song of harvest home.

2

All the world is God’s own field,
Fruit unto His praise to yield;
Wheat and tares together sown
Unto joy or sorrow grown.
First the blade and then the ear,
Then the full corn shall appear;
Lord of harvest, grant that we
Wholesome grain and pure may be.

3

For the Lord our God shall come,
And shall take His harvest home;
From His field shall in that day
All offenses purge away,
Giving angels charge at last
In the fire the tares to cast;
But the fruitful ears to store
In His garner evermore.

4

Even so, Lord, quickly come,
Bring Thy final harvest home;
Gather Thou Thy people in,
Free from sorrow, free from sin,
There, forever purified,
In Thy garner to abide;
Come, with all Thine angels come,
Raise the glorious harvest home.