Aunt June's Thanksgiving
Stories
Contents
"Aunt June’s Thanksgiving" by John Fitzgerald
"The True Source of our Prosperity" by Keith Wagner
"Giving God the Praise" by Keith Wagner
Aunt June’s Thanksgiving”
by David O. Bales
Luke 17:11-19
Whenever the three Bracken children had friends to their house, they warned them about their step-father. Never contradict him. Never cross him. Vince, whose name they never called him to his face, was never wrong.
Gigi, Mimi, and Dan, 13, 11, and 10 years old, had learned how to stay out of their step-father’s way. Vince stomped into the house with his big boots and swung his arms as he gave orders. The children must say, “Yes, sir,” and do what he said.
Gigi, who was the only child to remember their real father, complained to their mother about Vince’s arbitrary decisions for everything from the kind of clothes the children wore to their choices of food. Mother only said, “You need a father. He provides well for us.”
Vince got his way everywhere, since he owned his business and ran it as tight financially as any general ran an army. His only sibling was June. He called her the religious one. She was the only person who didn’t do what Vince ordered, maybe she never had. The Bracken children loved their Aunt June, even though they only saw her twice a year. They loved her because she hugged them and called them silly words that rhymed with their names. At Independence Day and Thanksgiving Aunt June Selberg and her family gathered with the Brackens. The families took turns hosting one another for these holidays.
The Selbergs had been to the Brackens’ on Independence Day in Longview. The Brackens were set to go to Willamina for Thanksgiving. Since the two families were only together twice a year Thanksgiving was also when the families exchanged Christmas presents for one another -- all wrapped and set to wait for another month’s opening. Gigi, Mimi, and Dan got to choose presents for their four cousins. Shopping to give their cousins gifts was almost as exciting as receiving gifts.
This was 60 years ago and the highways weren’t like today, few freeways, lots of two lane roads. Almost nobody had televisions, and many didn’t have telephones or even radios. So the distance traveled between the two families from Longview, Washington, where the Brackens lived, to Willamina, Oregon, to the Selbergs -- over 120 miles -- was a slower and a more difficult drive than today. Especially in late November on the western edge of the Cascade Mountains rain could dump by the truck loads.
When the Brackens woke on Thanksgiving Day, water was running down their street sweeping along trash cans and basketballs. Mother had just taken her specialty pumpkin pies from the oven when Vince squinted out the window and said, “I don’t know. Looks pretty bad.” They turned on the radio to get the forecast. It predicted the same for another day and a half. Vince stomped around the house for 45 minutes looking out window by window.
At 9:00 Vince announced, “It isn’t safe to travel. I’ll phone June.” Mother said, “Can’t we wait and see if it lets up?”
“It might let up here,” he spoke loudly, “but we have no idea what it’s like farther south. I’m phoning June.”
The children were in tears; but, they knew they couldn’t change Vince’s mind. They listened to his phone call.
“Nope. Can’t make it. Not safe. No, I’m not going to phone again. Long distance costs seventeen cents. Yeah. Sorry. Say hello to everyone from us too.”
The day was ruined except the kids knew they’d have plenty of pumpkin pie. That was slight compensation. The children retired to their rooms. Mimi tried to get the three of them into a board game, but they were all grumpy and soon were arguing. Vince decided Dan was most to blame so he stationed him by the front window to stand at attention until relieved. Vince and Mother sat in the living room listening to the radio. Dan was certain he’d been forgotten. Seemed he’d stood there for hours. It was, however, exactly 11:52 when he yelled, “They’re here! They’re here!”
“What in the world?” Vince said.
Dan ran to his sisters’ bedroom. “They’re here! They came here!”
The Brackens all met at the front window to see the Selberg’s piling out of their station wagon, each person with packages, pots, bowls, and baskets. Aunt June and her husband were the last to enter. She walked to Vince, smiled and said “Hi little brother. We thought we’d come to you.”
Decades come and go. Family members move away or die. But holidays become defined by what happened before on those holidays. For the Bracken children, once grown, their three families and descendants always celebrated Thanksgiving together. When they gathered at the table all members, whether with wine, water or cider joined the toast, “To Aunt June.”
Preaching Point: Gratitude is fueled by memory.
* * *
The True Source of our Prosperity
by Keith Wagner
Deuteronomy 8:7-18
In Deuteronomy we hear the words, “But remember the Lord your God; it is he that gives you strength to become prosperous.” However, we have a tendency to credit ourselves for our prosperity and success.
One time there was a golfer by the name of Robert De Vincenzo. After winning a tournament he received his $100,000 check and started walking toward the clubhouse. On the way he was approached by a tearful, young woman who said, “It’s a good day for you sir, but I have a baby with an incurable disease. She has a disease of the blood and the doctors say she will die.” De Vincenzo paused and then asked, “Perhaps I can help.” He then took out a pen and endorsed his winning check and handed it to the young woman. “Make some good days for your baby” he said.
A week later De Vincenzo was having lunch at the country club. A PGA official approached him and said, “Some of the other golfers said you were approached by a young woman after you won the tournament and you gave her your check.” De Vincenzo nodded. “Well, she’s a phony. Her baby isn’t sick. She fleeced you, my friend.” The golfer looked up and asked, “You mean that there is no baby who is dying of s serious blood disease?” The PGA official nodded. De Vincenzo grinned and said, “That’s the best news I’ve heard all week.”
I am sure that most everyone who heard that story really felt for this man who was bilked out of $100,000. It’s the same feeling we experience when we help someone who says they have a legitimate need but then goes out and spends the money of something frivolous. You know the ones I am talking about, those on welfare who spend their food stamps on cigarettes or liquor. We get folks all the time who come to the church asking for money for food, gas or some family emergency. We don’t know for sure how the money will really be used. We want to help but we want them to be deserving of what they receive.
We forget that God’s grace is not ours to control. It is a mystery. In 1978 Joan Lunden was invited to be a co-host with David Hartman on the show, Good Morning America. Hartman got to interview all the celebrities, politicians and important people. Lunden got the information spots. Consequently she received thousands of letters from women who believed she was not being treated fairly. But, Lunden actually enjoyed the spots and she was very good at them. She said, “I couldn’t see any reason to spend my time frustrated, angry or upset about things I couldn’t do or couldn’t have. I was simply grateful for the opportunity and did my very best.”
In other words, like Joan Lunden, God wants us to be grateful for what we have been given. God wants us to live with a thankful spirit. All that we have, all that we have accomplished is due to God’s grace.
Nelson Mandela, the leader of the African National Conference was imprisoned because he spoke out against apartheid in South Africa. He was imprisoned for twenty-seven years as a political prisoner. All he wanted was equal rights for black South Africans. Although separated from the outside world, he never lost his dedication to the cause. He worked in mines, studied and organized his fellow prisoners.
To survive prison, Mandela started a garden. For years he asked the authorities for some seeds and a place to create his garden. Finally, they relented and Mandela spent months cultivating the soil and nurturing his plants. His first harvest was poor but he continued to make improvements each year. Eventually his garden produced wonderful vegetables and he would present them to the prison guards and officers.
Mandela was a prisoner, who had a passion for equal rights. But while in prison he was limited in his efforts to continue the cause. So he used his prison time to do something constructive. His garden gave him a sense of purpose during the time he was separated from his family and friends. While in prison the one thing he could control was his garden and it gave him a sense of liberation.
Mandela gave all the credit to the grace of God for the success of his garden. I believed he truly lived by the motto, “It is God who gives us the strength to become prosperous.”
* * *
Giving God the Praise
by Keith Wagner
Psalm 65
Maxie Dunman once wrote an article on stewardship that has always reminded me of the fact that God is the one who is ultimately in charge. As the Psalmist said, “We owe God the praise!” After all, “It is God who provides the land for us.”
In his article, Turn in an Account of Your Stewarship, Dunman tells the story of an enormously rich man who complained to a psychiatrist that despite his great wealth which enabled him to have whatever he wanted, he still felt miserable.
The psychiatrist took the man to the window overlooking the street and asked, "What do you see?" The man replied, "I see men, women, and children." The psychiatrist then took the man to stand in front of mirror and asked, "Now what do you see?" The man said, "I see only myself."
The psychiatrist then said, "In the window there is a glass and in the mirror there is glass, and when you look through the glass of the window, you see others, but when you look into the glass of the mirror you see only yourself. The reason for this, "said the psychiatrist, "is that behind the glass in the mirror is a layer of silver. When silver is added, you cease to see others. You only see yourself."
Whenever our devotion to money and material things causes us to be self -centered, we are in essence denying God's intention for our lives.
An old legend tells how a man once stumbled upon a great red barn after wandering for days in a forest in the dark. He was seeking refuge from the howling winds of a storm. He entered the barn and his eyes grew accustomed to the dark. To his astonishment, he discovered that this was the barn where the devil kept his storehouse of seeds. They were the seeds that were sown in the hearts of humans. The man became curious and lit a match. He began exploring the piles of bins of seeds round him. He couldn’t help but notice that the greatest majority of them said, “Seeds of Discouragement.”
About that time one of the devil’s helpers arrived to pick up a load of seeds. The man asked him, “Why the abundance of discouragement seeds?” The helper laughed and replied, “Because they are so effective and they take root so quickly.” “Do they grow everywhere?” the man asked. At that moment the devil’s helper became very sullen. He glared at the man and in disgust he said, “No. They never seem to grow in the heart of a grateful person.”
God wants us to have a thankful heart. God wants to be praised. And by being grateful we are acknowledging God as the true source of all things.
*****************************************
StoryShare, November 23, 2017, issue.
Copyright 2017 by CSS Publishing Company, Inc., Lima, Ohio.
All rights reserved. Subscribers to the StoryShare service may print and use this material as it was intended in sermons, in worship and classroom settings, in brief devotions, in radio spots, and as newsletter fillers. No additional permission is required from the publisher for such use by subscribers only. Inquiries should be addressed to permissions@csspub.com or to Permissions, CSS Publishing Company, Inc., 5450 N. Dixie Highway, Lima, Ohio 45807.
"Aunt June’s Thanksgiving" by John Fitzgerald
"The True Source of our Prosperity" by Keith Wagner
"Giving God the Praise" by Keith Wagner
Aunt June’s Thanksgiving”
by David O. Bales
Luke 17:11-19
Whenever the three Bracken children had friends to their house, they warned them about their step-father. Never contradict him. Never cross him. Vince, whose name they never called him to his face, was never wrong.
Gigi, Mimi, and Dan, 13, 11, and 10 years old, had learned how to stay out of their step-father’s way. Vince stomped into the house with his big boots and swung his arms as he gave orders. The children must say, “Yes, sir,” and do what he said.
Gigi, who was the only child to remember their real father, complained to their mother about Vince’s arbitrary decisions for everything from the kind of clothes the children wore to their choices of food. Mother only said, “You need a father. He provides well for us.”
Vince got his way everywhere, since he owned his business and ran it as tight financially as any general ran an army. His only sibling was June. He called her the religious one. She was the only person who didn’t do what Vince ordered, maybe she never had. The Bracken children loved their Aunt June, even though they only saw her twice a year. They loved her because she hugged them and called them silly words that rhymed with their names. At Independence Day and Thanksgiving Aunt June Selberg and her family gathered with the Brackens. The families took turns hosting one another for these holidays.
The Selbergs had been to the Brackens’ on Independence Day in Longview. The Brackens were set to go to Willamina for Thanksgiving. Since the two families were only together twice a year Thanksgiving was also when the families exchanged Christmas presents for one another -- all wrapped and set to wait for another month’s opening. Gigi, Mimi, and Dan got to choose presents for their four cousins. Shopping to give their cousins gifts was almost as exciting as receiving gifts.
This was 60 years ago and the highways weren’t like today, few freeways, lots of two lane roads. Almost nobody had televisions, and many didn’t have telephones or even radios. So the distance traveled between the two families from Longview, Washington, where the Brackens lived, to Willamina, Oregon, to the Selbergs -- over 120 miles -- was a slower and a more difficult drive than today. Especially in late November on the western edge of the Cascade Mountains rain could dump by the truck loads.
When the Brackens woke on Thanksgiving Day, water was running down their street sweeping along trash cans and basketballs. Mother had just taken her specialty pumpkin pies from the oven when Vince squinted out the window and said, “I don’t know. Looks pretty bad.” They turned on the radio to get the forecast. It predicted the same for another day and a half. Vince stomped around the house for 45 minutes looking out window by window.
At 9:00 Vince announced, “It isn’t safe to travel. I’ll phone June.” Mother said, “Can’t we wait and see if it lets up?”
“It might let up here,” he spoke loudly, “but we have no idea what it’s like farther south. I’m phoning June.”
The children were in tears; but, they knew they couldn’t change Vince’s mind. They listened to his phone call.
“Nope. Can’t make it. Not safe. No, I’m not going to phone again. Long distance costs seventeen cents. Yeah. Sorry. Say hello to everyone from us too.”
The day was ruined except the kids knew they’d have plenty of pumpkin pie. That was slight compensation. The children retired to their rooms. Mimi tried to get the three of them into a board game, but they were all grumpy and soon were arguing. Vince decided Dan was most to blame so he stationed him by the front window to stand at attention until relieved. Vince and Mother sat in the living room listening to the radio. Dan was certain he’d been forgotten. Seemed he’d stood there for hours. It was, however, exactly 11:52 when he yelled, “They’re here! They’re here!”
“What in the world?” Vince said.
Dan ran to his sisters’ bedroom. “They’re here! They came here!”
The Brackens all met at the front window to see the Selberg’s piling out of their station wagon, each person with packages, pots, bowls, and baskets. Aunt June and her husband were the last to enter. She walked to Vince, smiled and said “Hi little brother. We thought we’d come to you.”
Decades come and go. Family members move away or die. But holidays become defined by what happened before on those holidays. For the Bracken children, once grown, their three families and descendants always celebrated Thanksgiving together. When they gathered at the table all members, whether with wine, water or cider joined the toast, “To Aunt June.”
Preaching Point: Gratitude is fueled by memory.
* * *
The True Source of our Prosperity
by Keith Wagner
Deuteronomy 8:7-18
In Deuteronomy we hear the words, “But remember the Lord your God; it is he that gives you strength to become prosperous.” However, we have a tendency to credit ourselves for our prosperity and success.
One time there was a golfer by the name of Robert De Vincenzo. After winning a tournament he received his $100,000 check and started walking toward the clubhouse. On the way he was approached by a tearful, young woman who said, “It’s a good day for you sir, but I have a baby with an incurable disease. She has a disease of the blood and the doctors say she will die.” De Vincenzo paused and then asked, “Perhaps I can help.” He then took out a pen and endorsed his winning check and handed it to the young woman. “Make some good days for your baby” he said.
A week later De Vincenzo was having lunch at the country club. A PGA official approached him and said, “Some of the other golfers said you were approached by a young woman after you won the tournament and you gave her your check.” De Vincenzo nodded. “Well, she’s a phony. Her baby isn’t sick. She fleeced you, my friend.” The golfer looked up and asked, “You mean that there is no baby who is dying of s serious blood disease?” The PGA official nodded. De Vincenzo grinned and said, “That’s the best news I’ve heard all week.”
I am sure that most everyone who heard that story really felt for this man who was bilked out of $100,000. It’s the same feeling we experience when we help someone who says they have a legitimate need but then goes out and spends the money of something frivolous. You know the ones I am talking about, those on welfare who spend their food stamps on cigarettes or liquor. We get folks all the time who come to the church asking for money for food, gas or some family emergency. We don’t know for sure how the money will really be used. We want to help but we want them to be deserving of what they receive.
We forget that God’s grace is not ours to control. It is a mystery. In 1978 Joan Lunden was invited to be a co-host with David Hartman on the show, Good Morning America. Hartman got to interview all the celebrities, politicians and important people. Lunden got the information spots. Consequently she received thousands of letters from women who believed she was not being treated fairly. But, Lunden actually enjoyed the spots and she was very good at them. She said, “I couldn’t see any reason to spend my time frustrated, angry or upset about things I couldn’t do or couldn’t have. I was simply grateful for the opportunity and did my very best.”
In other words, like Joan Lunden, God wants us to be grateful for what we have been given. God wants us to live with a thankful spirit. All that we have, all that we have accomplished is due to God’s grace.
Nelson Mandela, the leader of the African National Conference was imprisoned because he spoke out against apartheid in South Africa. He was imprisoned for twenty-seven years as a political prisoner. All he wanted was equal rights for black South Africans. Although separated from the outside world, he never lost his dedication to the cause. He worked in mines, studied and organized his fellow prisoners.
To survive prison, Mandela started a garden. For years he asked the authorities for some seeds and a place to create his garden. Finally, they relented and Mandela spent months cultivating the soil and nurturing his plants. His first harvest was poor but he continued to make improvements each year. Eventually his garden produced wonderful vegetables and he would present them to the prison guards and officers.
Mandela was a prisoner, who had a passion for equal rights. But while in prison he was limited in his efforts to continue the cause. So he used his prison time to do something constructive. His garden gave him a sense of purpose during the time he was separated from his family and friends. While in prison the one thing he could control was his garden and it gave him a sense of liberation.
Mandela gave all the credit to the grace of God for the success of his garden. I believed he truly lived by the motto, “It is God who gives us the strength to become prosperous.”
* * *
Giving God the Praise
by Keith Wagner
Psalm 65
Maxie Dunman once wrote an article on stewardship that has always reminded me of the fact that God is the one who is ultimately in charge. As the Psalmist said, “We owe God the praise!” After all, “It is God who provides the land for us.”
In his article, Turn in an Account of Your Stewarship, Dunman tells the story of an enormously rich man who complained to a psychiatrist that despite his great wealth which enabled him to have whatever he wanted, he still felt miserable.
The psychiatrist took the man to the window overlooking the street and asked, "What do you see?" The man replied, "I see men, women, and children." The psychiatrist then took the man to stand in front of mirror and asked, "Now what do you see?" The man said, "I see only myself."
The psychiatrist then said, "In the window there is a glass and in the mirror there is glass, and when you look through the glass of the window, you see others, but when you look into the glass of the mirror you see only yourself. The reason for this, "said the psychiatrist, "is that behind the glass in the mirror is a layer of silver. When silver is added, you cease to see others. You only see yourself."
Whenever our devotion to money and material things causes us to be self -centered, we are in essence denying God's intention for our lives.
An old legend tells how a man once stumbled upon a great red barn after wandering for days in a forest in the dark. He was seeking refuge from the howling winds of a storm. He entered the barn and his eyes grew accustomed to the dark. To his astonishment, he discovered that this was the barn where the devil kept his storehouse of seeds. They were the seeds that were sown in the hearts of humans. The man became curious and lit a match. He began exploring the piles of bins of seeds round him. He couldn’t help but notice that the greatest majority of them said, “Seeds of Discouragement.”
About that time one of the devil’s helpers arrived to pick up a load of seeds. The man asked him, “Why the abundance of discouragement seeds?” The helper laughed and replied, “Because they are so effective and they take root so quickly.” “Do they grow everywhere?” the man asked. At that moment the devil’s helper became very sullen. He glared at the man and in disgust he said, “No. They never seem to grow in the heart of a grateful person.”
God wants us to have a thankful heart. God wants to be praised. And by being grateful we are acknowledging God as the true source of all things.
*****************************************
StoryShare, November 23, 2017, issue.
Copyright 2017 by CSS Publishing Company, Inc., Lima, Ohio.
All rights reserved. Subscribers to the StoryShare service may print and use this material as it was intended in sermons, in worship and classroom settings, in brief devotions, in radio spots, and as newsletter fillers. No additional permission is required from the publisher for such use by subscribers only. Inquiries should be addressed to permissions@csspub.com or to Permissions, CSS Publishing Company, Inc., 5450 N. Dixie Highway, Lima, Ohio 45807.
