Our Thanksgiving Prayer
I have always enjoyed Thanksgiving and have many happy memories of our Tate Family on Thanksgiving.
There are several special Thanksgivings that I remember very vividly. One was when Mom and Dad invited an older couple to join us explaining that they would be all alone that year. Mom and I made animals for the table out of peanuts and pipe cleaners. We sat them all over the table around her centerpiece which was always a large oval bowl of wax and plastic fruit. We had all given her that fruit over the years. She would also use large wooden spools from the cotton mill for the candle sticks.
The fruit that I use in my cornucopia which you will see later in a short video is that same fruit that my Mom used.
Yes, I am sentimental.
This lens tells the story of one Thanksgiving that my Dad was unable to give the blessing and we found a very special prayer that became a tradition. Prayer is and always has been a very important part of my life and sharing this story is definitely sharing a part of me and my family.
Photo: A Cross Stitch Tray that I did for my Dad and Step Mother for Our Tate Family Thanksgivings.
My Artwork of our 1958 Thanksgiving Table
You Never Know What Your Children Will Remember!
I was 10 years old when I did this drawing. I remember it like it was yesterday. My birthday was in August and I had received from my folks a John Nagy Art Set which included a pack of oil pastels. That is what I used to do our Thanksgiving Table. You can see the fruit bowl I was mentioning above and this time we had made turkeys out of pine cones and construction paper. I used to love to watch "Learn To Draw With John Nagy" on television. I still enjoy painting and drawing so I guess it paid off.
Note: I knew I had this picture somewhere and had to go through a couple of boxes to find it. It is amazing what we will do for Squidoo.
My Sister Made This Lens About The Three of Us - The Tate Girls
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Happy Times Did Not Last
but our Love for Family grew stronger and stronger.
Our Mother developed Alzheimers at the early age of 56 and passed away 9 years later. These were some very hard years but we somehow managed to get through them. I remember dressing my mother for my college graduation so I really missed her during my adult years. There was so little known about Alzheimers in the 70's and at least today there are support groups and information that can be read. I pray that advances will continue to be made in the research of this dreaded disease.Alzheimer's Association
Our Dad was seriously ill after our Mom's death and was on Intensive Care with a ruptured Aortic Aneurysm for more days than I care to remember. After he regained his strength, he started getting out more and met a wonderful woman and re-married. We began to combine her family and ours for a Tate Family Thanksgiving and there was always one thing that stayed the same. Our Dad would give the most beautiful blessing before we began dinner. He was a big man with a deep but soft voice and when he spoke, we listened. His blessings set the tone for the day and left us all with a wonderful secure feeling of "family".
We enjoyed this tradition for about 9 years and then our brother tragically passed away at the young age of 36. It was about more than we could all endure especially our Dad. Two months later was Thanksgiving and for this reason we moved the celebration to my house which was just down the hill from my Dad's. He and our sweet Step Mother were totally unable to entertain at that point, but we all felt the need to get together. The question arose about the blessing. The thought of my Dad not saying the blessing was very hard to handle but we knew that he would never be able to emotionally get through it.
I started looking for a special prayer and as if I was being directed by my Mother, I pulled out her old collection of Ideals. It was there that I found the prayer that would become our new family tradition and one that we would share with others who have lost loved ones. You see, we lost our Dad the next April so this was the last Thanksgiving that we spent with him.
The holidays are always a rough time for those who have lost loved ones. This prayer helped us get through that sad Thanksgiving and remember the good times.
My sisters and I hope that this prayer brings comfort and is as meaningful to you.
Grace For Thanksgiving Day
by Alice Kennelly Roberts
Dear God,
Wherever we may be...On this Thanksgiving Day...
Gathered with loved ones in our homes...
Or many miles away...
We bow our heads, remembering those...
Who shared Thanksgiving past...
Those who have walked with us awhile...
Whose love will always last...
We thank Thee for the joy of friends...
The food before us set...
And for a tiny Pilgrim band...
Whose trials we can't forget...
Help us to sift the good and bad...
The hatred and the strife...
Grant us the wisdom and the strength...
To lead a useful life.
Amen
Making a Thanksgiving Card with this prayer
My sisters and I always try to remember those who have lost loved ones during the year by sharing this poem either as an email, a handwritten note or a handmade card.
This is the card that I will be using this year using a patchwork type border of some of my cornucopia pictures as seen below in the little slide show along with some designs.
Traditionally, we have copies for everyone at the table so that it can be read in unison. We have also used it at our Tate Family Reunions as a part of the closing ceremony.
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Ohme's Cornucopia Slide Show
Please watch me build a Cornucopia with my Mom's old fruit
A Letter Written Thanksgiving 1958 To Our Parents From My Sister, Betty
Our mother had sent it into the Greenville News Newspaper
Letter to the Editor from our mother:
Considering all of the publicity given to juvenile delinquency and the crimes committed by teenagers it seems only fair that publicity be given the good actions of Christian teenagers.
We received the following letter from our 18 year old daughter, who is a freshman in college, and the letter gave us such a deep feeling of gratitude and pride that we would like to share it with others.
We are not seeking any personal publicity and ask that all identities be omitted if you see fit to publish the letter.
Dear Mom and Dad,
As we approach the Thanksgiving Season, I cannot help but think of the many things I have for which to be thankful.
First of all, I thank God for being born to you, the most wonderful parents in the world; for being born in America, a country filled with opportunity and freedom; and for being a Christian, with sincere faith in God.
And second, I thank you - for now I seem to realize the importance of things such as encouragement, help, faith, warmth, security, independence and love - all of these you have given me.
And third, I am thankful that I am able to realize these things and thank you, in this small way, for everything you have given me.
With greatest love
from your daughter
Editor's Note:
Refreshing, isn't it? We found it so.
The young lady has just about summed up all the things for which any of us could and should be prayerfully thankful today - "wonderful parents", "for being born in America, a country filled with opportunity and freedom", "security, faith...and love..."
What else is there for any of us, and how precious they are!
We could add only one more thing: devoted children such as she, and there are many of them. They give us hope for the future of this blessed land.
This Lens Is Participated The Family Stories Month 08
and has chosen Modest Needs as it's charity.
Dedicated to helping people with unexpected financial emergencies. Modest Needs work to stop the cycle of poverty BEFORE it starts for the low-income workers whom conventional philanthropy has forgotten.
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We hope you will check these out and hope you enjoy them.
Thank you.-
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Thanksgiving Decorations
I love to decorate with my Annalee Dolls
I have collected Annalees for many years and love to decorate with them. They make me happy to look at them. These are the ones that I always put in my foyer at Thanksgiving. The Pinecone Wreath was made by my mother in the 60's. It still looks pretty good, doesn't it.
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Thanksgiving Prayer
Johnny Cash
This Lens Was Reviewed by MiMi on Thanksgiving Day 08
Squidoo Lens Review
MiMi always makes me feel so good and I was honored to be her Thanksgiving Lens for her Squidoo Lens Review. This meant so much to me because this lens is so very special to me and my family. Thank you, MiMiSquidoo Lens Review by MiMi
We have used this prayer at the closing ceremony of Our Tate Family Reunion
even though it is not at Thanksgiving
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Our Tate Family Reunion
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Our Tate Family gets together every other year for Our Tate Family Reunion. This began in 2000 and each year we held the reunion in a different location and each year our family reunion has been very enjoyable. We have met in Athens, Ga;...
Happy Thanksgiving!
Hope you will leave a comment. Thanks.
You do not have to be a member of Squidoo to leave a comment. Just choose "visitor" when you get ready to comment and the rest should go smoothly. Thank you for taking the extra effort.
On Nov 30, 2009 this lens hit 98 so now I proudly display the Top 100 Lensrank badge.
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- terrasanta-products terrasanta-products Dec 6, 2009 @ 2:14 pm
- Now you can light a candle at the Church of Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem
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- Spook Spook Dec 1, 2009 @ 2:59 pm
- You deserve everything that comes your way Nancy. I often wish I lived in Pendleton but no doubt they would soon be glad to see the back of me. Blessed by an Angel.
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- JenOfChicago JenOfChicago Dec 1, 2009 @ 11:02 am
- Happy Thanksgiving - congrats on reaching the top 100!
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- jptanabe jptanabe Dec 1, 2009 @ 7:41 am
- Oh this is such a wonderful lens on Thanksgiving - thank you! The art, the prayer, the letter, and the moving stories of your family losses are beautifully presented.
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- terrasanta-products terrasanta-products Dec 6, 2009 @ 2:16 pm
- Now you can light a candle at the Church of Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem
http://terrasanta-products.com/Default.asp?sType=1&PageId=26544&MH=0
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This lens participated in Family Stories Month for November 08
Just use this link to go to Kimberly Dawn Well's Family Stories Month lens and visit the other lenses that participated. Thank you.-
Family Stories Month for Charity
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November is Family Stories Month and when you tell your family story, you could help one of three deserving charities and end up featured on Squidoo! This month we're building lenses to support: Oxfam America Covenant House Modest Needs Good or goo...
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I have been called lots of things during my 60 years. My dad would sometimes call me "third verse" and my mom would call me "Nancy Lee" and my sisters call me "Nan". In college I was called by my maiden name, "Tate&...
About Ohme
Lensmaster OhMe has been a member since July 18 2008, has rated 5,564 lenses, favorited 4,564, and has created 85 lenses from scratch. Nancy Hellams donates their royalties to Squidoo Charity Fund. This member's top-ranked page is "Thanksgiving Prayer - A Family Tradition". See all my lenses
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I have lived in Pendleton for over 50 years and love my town and all the people in it. I don't act in any official capacity but just love to promote it. My husband and I have been married for 31 wonderful years and have one daughter, one grandson, one son and daughter in law. Our daughter and grandson live in Pendleton and we love our role as parents and grandparents. We are truly blessed with a great family and great friends.
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