“Come, ye thankful people, come,
raise the song of harvest home;
all is safely gathered in,
ere the winter storms begin.
God our Maker doth provide
for our wants to be supplied;
come to God’s own temple, come,
raise the song of harvest home.
2. All the world is God’s own field,
fruit as praise to God we yield;
wheat and tares together sown
are to joy or sorrow grown;
first the blade and then the ear,
then the full corn shall appear;
Lord of harvest, grant that we
wholesome grain and pure may be.
3. For the Lord our God shall come,
and shall take the harvest home;
from the field shall in that day
all offenses purge away,
giving angels charge at last
in the fire the tares to cast;
but the fruitful ears to store
in the garner evermore.
4. Even so, Lord, quickly come,
bring thy final harvest home;
gather thou thy people in,
free from sorrow, free from sin,
there, forever purified,
in thy presence to abide;
come, with all thine angels, come,
raise the glorious harvest home.”
If you aren’t familiar with this old hymn, here is the Mormon Tabernacle Choir singing it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=msOzJ6DY7EA – 290k
When I was growing up, this was a song we sang at Thanksgiving programs at school and at church. Dressed as Pilgrims and Indians, we sang at the top of our lungs. (The grocery stores with their brown bags provided our costumes. Perhaps you remember cutting holes out for our heads and arms.) We built log cabins out of popsicle sticks and took canned food for the needy. Acting out the story of that first Thanksgiving was fun.
It wasn’t until later that I learned that this holiday was a traditional harvest feast for the Pilgrims.
Food, football, and fellowship were the key ingredients to our home celebrations. There was a standard menu that always included turkey and dressing. The table and counter groaned with the side items. We ate in the dining room, and Mother brought out her good china and silver. Family and friends joined us each year, and each shared their family’s favorite recipes. Whether watching football or playing it in the backyard, it was the afternoon’s entertainment. Some of the adults slept through those tv games. Because of the abundance of food, there was always enough for supper.
As I spent time in the grocery store today with my list for Thanksgiving dinner, I found myself buying ingredients to make and bake those same delicious foods. Family memories are not to be taken lightly; they are a part of us. I am blessed that I had parents who believed in being grateful on a regular basis and appreciate their teaching us that importance. Those magic words of “thank you” should never grow old.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer said, “In ordinary life we hardly realize that we receive a great deal more than we give, and that it is only with gratitude that life becomes rich.”
Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family!
Sheila Ingle 