By Staff
Mom's Corner, Michelle Blaylock
With Thanksgiving being just one week away, I began to think about being thankful. I remember a story my daddy told me not too long ago about my grandfather.
When my grandfather was a young boy, he lived on a farm. After a particularly bad summer, his father heard of a job that was several hours away. At that time traveling back and forth several hours in the dead of winter was just not possible.
Even knowing this he took a chance and left hoping to get the job. He had to leave his wife and nine young children with no money and only oats and sweet potatoes to eat. There was no milk, sugar, honey, or anything else except water. They did have a wood stove and wood available for cooking and heat. For an entire winter they ate nothing but the sweet potatoes and oats twice a day. They fixed them every way they could think to fix them.
Sixty years later, my grandfather would still not eat oats. He did eventually eat sweet potatoes occasionally, but wouldn't touch the oats. My great-grandfather did get the job and was able to return in spring with enough money to buy seed and once again farm.
When I think about things like these it changes my perspective on being thankful. Can you imagine how thankful the pilgrim women would have been to have the modern conveniences of today? Even the settlers of the 1800s would have been tickled to have what we have! Imagine their delight at walking into a Wal-Mart!
I love to cook from "scratch," but when I'm in a hurry I like being able to open a can, too. Pilgrims didn't have that choice. What about their kitchens? Personally, I'd rather be living now.
I like my kitchen appliances and my running water that isn't contaminated with all sorts of nasty things. I also like being able to go to my refrigerator and pull out a gallon of milk, instead of having to go milk a cow.
I often wondered what Pilgrim women would think about things like a modern day stove, dishwashers, washing machines, dryers, and electricity. They would probably consider our lives a life of leisure.
Have you ever read the "Little House on the Prairie" books? I love them. I remember reading one when I was young and it mentioned something about how many dresses Laura had. I believe she only had three; two for everyday wear and one for church or special occasions. They usually only washed once a week.
Yuck!
Can you imagine what those clothes were like in summer with no air conditioning?
There are many everyday things I find that I am thankful for. I find I'm thankful for big things, like my Heavenly Father, my children, husband, friends, family, our church family, home, vehicles, and our health. However, there are little things to be thankful for too!
In our family, I find myself being thankful for a complete night's sleep. (It doesn't come very often.) I'm thankful every morning that the kids' shoes didn't disappear overnight. I find I'm thankful when my kids remember their chores.
Let me rephrase that. What I should say is that I'm thankful when my kids remember to do their chores. I'm fairly sure they remember they have chores, they just forget to do them!
I think it's become too easy to complain. We are constantly bombarded by things we "need" or should have. How about those "you just can't live without this new gadget" commercials. They drive me nuts. Well, that's not true. It's not the commercial that drives me crazy. It's my kids telling me they want whatever's being advertised that drives me crazy.
I hope you take time this year to be truly thankful for the blessings God has given us. If you have a question, comment or suggestion for Mom's Corner, please send it to: Mom's Corner; P.O. Box 1496; Hartselle, AL 35640; or e-mail: moms-corner@juno.com.