Five Kernels of Corn

Imagine with me, will you?
Embark upon a crude vessel
To a place far away,
Journeying toward a better way.

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Behold the land! It is beautiful, is it not?
Wild, no houses, no barns, no crops,
No turning back,
Hoping for a better day.

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Can we endure this?
Half of our number is dead.
Praying for an answer,
Praying for a better day.

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Who is this native, speaking English?
Squanto, a mentor, a savior with seeds.
Three sisters to fill our empty bellies,
Trusting in another way.

The three sisters: Squash, corn and beans

Can you believe the harvest?
Our bounty is great.
We celebrate with ninety uninvited guests,
Thankful for this day.

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What! More have arrived?
They have nothing!
We fall to our knees and pray,
Hoping to make it through the day.

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Five kernels of corn apiece?
Divided equally among the living.
We make it through the winter,
Hoping for abundant days.

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Are we not a beacon of hope?
Built on the rock of our ancestor's dreams.
The memory of five kernels of corn,
Making us thankful for today.

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Can we plant double the crop of thankfulness?
Let us never forget starvation and rescue.
Let us never lose sight of freedom's shores,
Thankful we made it through today.

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Thank you, Pilgrims !

Thank you, Veterans! 

Thank you , God!

The Object of My Boast

The title for my blog...I know...it is puzzlingly long and odd to some; to others, it may appear a boast. 

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My birth father was a public figure. He appeared on TV and Radio, daily; he narrated films that I would watch in school; he authored a book. Everyone in town knew his name, his face, and his voice.

When I was 10, he walked out on my mom, two sons and two daughters.  I only saw him in person three times after that.  But still, whenever I was introduced to someone for the first time, they would hear my name, they would look at me and ask:

 “Is so-and-so your father?”  What do you say to that?  What would YOU say? I even looked like him.

I said yes, always wondering if they were going to ask me about him...things I couldn't answer.

I didn't know him.  Sure, he could be seen on the TV and heard on the radio every day!  But I didn't know him.

Looking back, I can see the void he left in my life.

When I was 30, I met the King of Heaven and was adopted into his family. A few years later, while driving my car -- just a regular kind of day -- He spoke to my heart, saying,

 "Do you know that you trust those strangers coming at you in those cars, more than you trust me?"   

I didn't know it then, but He was about to teach me to trust Him in a way I would never have chosen. My prince would be out of work for one long year. The cupboards would be bare, and then filled full and overflowing. The house would be almost lost, then saved at a reduced payment. The mail would bring perfectly timed gifts. Oh, I could tell stories of that year!

Like my real father, my adoptive Father is a public figure -- almost everybody knows who He is. Everyone on earth has viewed His gallery of artwork. Some know His voice. He authored 66 books. But, unlike my earthly father, He has promised never to leave me, never to leave a void.  All I have to do is Trust and Obey Him. And He has shown himself to be trustworthy.

When asked, I can tell LOTS and LOTS about my adoptive Father! And the older I get, the more I trust him; and the more I trust, the more I follow his instructions; and the more I follow his lead, the more I look like Him and the less I look like my other dad. 

Does the title make sense now?

I admit -- it IS a boast! (I could never boast about the other dad.  He wasn't worthy of my boast.) My adoptive father wants me to boast about His deeds, His love, His faithfulness! He is boastworthy! ( new word!)

“...but let the one who boasts boast about this: that they have the understanding to know me, that I am the LORD, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight,” declares the LORD.” Jeremiah 9:24

On this first day of the month of Thanks-Giving, I give thanks to God for the Grace he has shown me, the Faithfulness he has proven, the Love he bestows. 

Thank you, Father!