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October-
a time for Thanksgiving
All good things must surely come to an end. And
this summer will go down on record as one of the best in living
memory; and it just seemed to go on, and on, and on.........in the
words of that old song " those were the days my friend, we
thought they'd never end....we'd laugh and play forever and a day"!
Just today a friend of mine was talking about how
he had gone swimming in deBaies Cove on the 1st of October and the
water was warmer then than it usually is in August. What a treat!
Is it possible that the doomsayers are right and we are experiencing
"Global Warming" to an accellerated degree? Or is it just
a blip on the surface? Who knows, but we enjoyed it while we could.
Yesterday and today we are experiencing the first
warning signs of approaching winter....cool (even cold) nights and
brilliant sunshine during the day but with a little "nip+qipt";
in the air....just enough to remind us that we have those end of
summer chores to get done.......clean out the old flower beds and
prepare them for overwintering and spring, mow the lawn for the
last time, paint up and fix up the wear and tear of summer before
the ravages of winter arrive to finish the job, have the furnace
cleaned, get the car winterized, insulate and block up the chinks
to keep those wintery blasts out, plant those spring flowering bulbs,
get the boats in and under cover, close up the summer cottage, haul
in that floating dock, cut and pile firewood, etc., etc., the list
goes on and on!!!!!..... Will we have time to get all those jobs
done before the snow flies? Not likely, but they will sure keep
us busy until then.
How appropriate that it is at this time that we
pause to count our blessings and give thanks. Thanksgiving Holiday
gives us cause to reflect on the events of the past year and remember
with gratitude the joys of family life, the good times with family
and friends over the long hot summer....barbecues, picnics, backyard
get-togethers, days in the pool or at the beach, time to relax at
the cottage or camping, all those good times made that much more
enjoyable because they are shared with loved ones. And we give thanks
for our own personal achievements whether large or small, thanks
for the satisfaction and pride that we feel in seeing our children
do well in school; thanks for the joy that comes with seeing our
loved ones doing well in their personal lives, thanks for the gifts
of good health and healing, and most of all, thanks for the gift
of life itself and for the pleasures and wonders that life holds
for us all!
Thanksgiving Sunday arrives just when the forested
countryside is in its Autumn glory. The goodness and beauty of life
is on display everywhere we look; with crimson red maples, golden
yellow birch, purple sumac and dusky red blueberry bushes, bright
yellow ferns covering hillsides, all accented by the browns and
greens of the surrounding trees....Nature has saved her best display
for the last as though to give us one last treat before the onset
of another winter. She has also prepared her greatest bounty for
us to enjoy at this time. Who can resist the crisp sweetness, and
the juicy "crack" of your teeth sinking into a rosey red MacIntosh
Apple picked with your own hand from a tree just laden to the breaking
point with wonderful fruit. And what can replace the wonderful sights
and smells of the vegetable and fruit stands at harvest time? They
beckon to us overflowing with the bounty of the harvest as though
to say " this is what I have provided for you as reward for
all your labour!!!!!! Taste and eat....for it is good!!!!"
And how about those pumpkins?
Mounds of pumpkins piled high everywhere seem to
wink at us as a reminder that among all this fruitful bounty there
is still time for laughter and fun. Take time out to visit the "Pumpkin
People" that seem to spring to life everywhere in our towns
and villages....relaxing on the front porch, peering at us from
lofty tree branches, sitting on the garden swings, gamboling on
the front lawns, waiting at the bus stops....pumpkin people everywhere
spreading their spirit of good cheer.
It won't be long before the Pumpkin People become
"Jack-O-Lanterns" leering and grimacing at us on Halloween!
What fun to be a pumpkin in October! So, as we pause to reflect
on the goodness of life and its blessings we take a few moments
to bow our heads and give thanks to the beneficient power that brought
us into being and that continues to hold us in existence.
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Where
on Earth is