Happy Thanksgiving everyone. I hope you had some time with family and friends to make your day more pleasant. I know there are many families who have lost loved ones, so the day was one of bittersweet memories. Still, we have much to be thankful for in this country. We have the rights and privileges that were granted to us by our Constitution and Bill of Rights. The Pilgrims came to this new land searching for a place to carry the Christian values in the Bible.
They set up an amazing system of government based on the Bible, and our Founding Fathers took that original Mayflower Compact and its concepts and birthed a country with freedoms unimaginable in other countries. We have troubles all around us, but we also have an amazing country for which we can thank the Pilgrims. In other words, give thanks for our daily provision and for this wonderful country.
I believe, if we haven’t already started, that we need to put some serious prayer time in for a good three- to four-inch rain. I dread the coming spring if we don’t get any rain. My trees dropped their leaves early. If this dry spell is followed by a hot summer, the trees will not be able to stand the added stress. The leaves that remain look beautiful in their fall colors. They remind me of Joseph’s coat of many colors. Patsy Hall posted pictures of her red oaks in their fiery red foliage. The sumac stands out bright in yellow and red as well. I guess we had that one cold snap just at the right time. They are all ready for this Thursday. Thank you, Lord, for beautiful trees.
I have one group of kids coming on Thursday, just for the day. I am not going to get my youngest son, Shane, and his sweet wife Earnie, because Shane has been exposed to COVID. I understand his desire to keep us safe, but I will miss them. When I think of all the nursing home folks and hospital patients that are sitting in lonely rooms away from their loved ones, it makes me angry and sad. I honestly don’t know which is worse, dying from COVID because my kids came to see me, or dying alone because my children love me. I prefer that my children come to see me, but I can understand their fear and concern. Hopefully, with this new vaccine, our elder generation can finally be set free from this prison.
The Coyotes won a decisive game against a tough Oglesby team. I think many of us were amazed at the shoestring tackles that Oglesby seemed to produce. They had several tough and speedy players that gave us trouble early in the game, but then came half-time. The “rest of the story” is in the books. The Coyotes are Area Champions with their 70-38 win. I hate to single out any specific player since all our athletes played so well. I want to give a shout out for Chase Gossett. He struggled early in the game with his point after skills, but he persevered, overcame his issues, and played magnificently on both sides. He ran an interception back on defense and stopped Oglesby more than once. He blocked on offense and kicked extra points and kick offs efficiently and accurately. As a senior athlete, he set a great example for his junior players. Great game everyone. Please stay healthy.
Basketball season has started. The girls are playing well and racking up points in the win column. The boys will most like not play until playoff season is over. The rules set out by our superintendent are allowing home crowds, but no visitors whatsoever. I don’t know if that is right or not; it’s what the rules are. It’s just more of this COVID stuff.
Please pray for our President, our elections, our Congress and Senate and our American way of life. Pray for some rain, and all of our peace forces and medical personnel. A million thanks to our everyday essential workers and truck drivers that keep us all supplied. Our condolences go the Johnson family in their loss. One of my students is in Fort Worth waiting for her father to be released from the hospital after a vicious knife attack. The family will need our prayers and assistance during his long convalescence. May God be with each of you during this holiday season. Most of all pray for our precious troops and their families.