MY THANKSGIVING DAY SECRET

Ten years ago today, Mary and I went to Thanksgiving at my sister's with a secret.

The doctor called the day before with the results.  Mary had breast cancer.  The doctor called it a "very angry cancer."  Given the growth of the cancer since Mary's last mammogram only nine months earlier, it was likely advanced, though the doctor couldn't tell us how far it spread until the surgery. It would lead to a double mastectomy, many months of chemo, many dozens radiation treatments and more doctors visits than I can count. I look at it as the year we had cancer. 

We chose not to share the "news" on Thanksgiving ten years ago. So there we were at my sister's home, with news that we knew that was going to have a profound effect on our children, parents, our business and others. It was a surreal feeling. 

Cancer is a teacher.  It teaches us about life and death. It teaches us to be thankful, what to be thankful for and who to thank. 

I imagine, as one lays dying that we feal thankful. If our mind is peaceful and we aren't in too much pain, we feel gratitude for people and moments throughout our life that we remember.  I imagine as my eyes close and I take my last breadth and my soul is leaving my body, the feelings of gratitude turn into a feeling of love - a greater love than one has ever felt. All the gratitude becomes love. 

Thanksgiving is wonderful reminder that there is so much to be grateful for. Praise God. 

Have a happy and grateful Thanksgiving 💞

TURKEY DAY

 "The First Thanksgiving" by Ferris

THINKING ABOUT THANKSGIVING . . . A.K.A. “TURKEY DAY.”

In a couple of days there will be millions of men laying on their sofa or reclined in “their chair.” “Schluff Gezunt” (Sleep Well).

Before going into a food coma, I think it’s worth remembering that the word/concept of Thanksgiving is used 102 times in the Old Testament and 71 in the New Testament. Psalm 100:4-5 says to “Give thanks to Him, bless His name. For the Lord is good; His lovingkindness is everlasting, and His faithfulness to all generations.”

Hag HAHOdaya is Hebrew for the “holiday of Thanksgiving.” It means “holiday of gratitude.” O give thanks [HODU] unto the Lord, for He is good,” reads Psalms 136:1. (Verb vs Noun for Thanksgiving.) HODU is also Hebrew for turkey (Indian chicken). So when we say “Turkey Day” that is correct – it is Thanksgiving Day.”

Thanksgiving is a reminder of the first Thanksgiving in 1621 when the Plymouth colonists (the Pilgrims) and Wampanoag Native Americans shared an autumn harvest feast.  The Pilgrims came to America for religious liberty – the freedom to praise God.

America is called The Land of Liberty.  Samuel Francis Smith wrote the lyrics to “America” in 1831 in just 30 minutes while a student at the Andover Theological Seminary in Andover, Massachusetts. The song was first performed in public on July 4, 1831 at Park Street Church in Boston. You’ll recognize it immediately:

“My country, ‘ tis of thee,
sweet land of liberty,
of thee I sing;
land where my fathers died,
land of the pilgrims’ pride,
from every mountainside let freedom ring!”

I want to call your attention to the 4th and final verse:
“Our fathers’ God, to thee,
author of liberty, to thee we sing;
long may our land be bright with freedom’s holy light;
protect us by thy might, great God, our King.”

Smith’s song “AMERICA” served as a de facto national anthems of the United States (along with songs like “Hail, Columbia”) before the adoption of “The Star-Spangled Banner” as the official U.S. national anthem in 1931.

In 1863 Thanksgiving was declared a national holiday by president Lincoln in a way that is consistent with the biblical thanksgiving that was done either by sacrifice or prayer. Psalm 100 for example is called ‘A Psalm of thanksgiving’.

Conclusion: One might say that God had a plan for Americans to be grateful to him on Thanksgiving while we eat Turkey and celebrate Liberty across the Land.

PRAISE GOD!

Full Lyrics to America:
My country, ‘ tis of thee,sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing;land where my fathers died,land of the pilgrims’ pride,from every mountainside let freedom ring!
2. My native country, thee,land of the noble free, thy name I love;I love thy rocks and rills,thy woods and templed hills;my heart with rapture thrills, like that above.
3. Let music swell the breeze,and ring from all the trees sweet freedom’s song;let mortal tongues awake;let all that breathe partake;let rocks their silence break, the sound prolong.
4. Our fathers’ God, to thee,author of liberty, to thee we sing;long may our land be brightwith freedom’s holy light;protect us by thy might, great God, our King.

THERE IS MORE TO THE STORY

WELCOME TO THE MONTH OF KISLEV

Today, which began as the moon rose last night, is the 1st day of the Hebrew month of Kislev 5781.

As the moon brings us into the month of Kiskev, it is worth noting that Hanukkah, which begins this month, is the only Jewish Holiday that starts in one month (25th of Kislev - the 9th month) and ends in another (2nd of Tevet - the 10th month). 

Hanukkah has two moons!  Given Jew's very special relationship with the moon, this aspect makes Hanukkah special indeed. Here are 10 classic Jewish teachjngs about the Moon. 

Since there is meaning in both Hebrew letters and Hebrew numbers, Hanukkah is a holiday with extra meaning. Hanukkah goes from the 9th month to the 10th month -- from 9 tp 10. The letter TET is 9 and the letter YOD is 10. (The Hebrew alpha-bet numbers go from 1-9, 10-90 and 100-400.) 

Since there are more moons, more months, more letters and numbers associated with Hanukkah I see both irony and a message in this additional fact.

Hanukkah is the one Jewish holiday that history has "lost" the Hebrew for. The Book of Maccabees, which tells the story that the holiday ritual is based on, is the one Hebrew book that is lost. We have the original Hebrew for every other holiday. But with Hanukkah we only have a Greek translation of The Book of Maccabees that was done based on the Hebrew at about the same time. This begs the question:  Did we lose any of the meaning when we lost the Hebrew?  

I believe the answer is yes. We did lose a part of the meaning in the common understanding of the story.  

The translation from Greek to English changed one letter which changed the translation of one word. The scholars say the common translator from Greek to English made the change because they believe that the original Greek translation done in the day made a mistake. Mind you that the Greek translator who lived in the day had the Hebrew to base their translation on! Whereas the translators from Greek to English is using context and logic many centuries later.  Nonetheless, that English version became the standard. 

However, that one word changed from the Greek to the English changed the story of Hanukkah in a VERY important way. I believe that important way is highly relevant to what is happening in our world today. 

I plan to do my best to explain when I teach about Hanukkah latter this month.

BUILD BACK BETTER - THE GREAT RESET

"BUILD BACK BETTER" ISN'T JUST JOE BIDEN'S CAMPAIGN SLOGAN FOLKS. 

Listen to the Canadian Prime Minister. You'll hear him use it. It is the slogan for the "great reset" envisioned under the United Nations and the World Economic Forum with the aid of the IMF. 

"Build Back Better" is about Global Elites controlling everyone under the guise of a "utopian society." 

"Build Back Better" is the slogan for the "One World Government" which takes away every nation's Sovereignty.  

In order for the One World Government to rise America has to fall. Removing Trump speeds up the process. 

"Build Back Better" is the opposite of "Make America Great."  It's the opposite of national sovereignty. George Washington is rolling over in his grave. "Build Back Better" is everything the Father of our country warned us about in his Farewell Letter.  

George Washington warned us about surrendering our Sovereignty and foreign entanglements. He warned us of the dangers of Partisanship and putting Party ahead of country.  But most of all he warned us about losing our morality and putting Government above God. 

There is a much darker side to a One World Government.  One which we have been warned about for years ... thousands of years. It began IN THE BEGINNING with the Serpent that seduced Eve in the Garden of Eden. The Serpent undermines God's authority. 

Satan prefers to operate in the shadows.  He executes his deceitful ways through principalities and people who are fully unaware of his plans.  If God doesn't exist, then neither does Satan.  By eliminating the belief in God, Satin paves the way for his corruption.  Satan is called the great prosecutor.  He prosecutes his case with deception and lies. 

A One World Government starts with those seeking control in deceitful ways. And one of the first things they do is send the tax collectors.  If you know you're bible you know that's how slavery began in Pharaoh's Egypt and again with the Assyrian Greeks. Before you know it we will be strangers in the land where we are living.

I know this all sounds crazy. So just watch the video. Then simply try to imagine America's place in the world when the Globalist are done. Try to imagine your own town government's importance. Try to imagine America's wealth being redistributed not just within America but to elsewhere as the Globalists destroy American industries and competitiveness.  Try to imagine our choices for healthcare, the car we drive, how we educate our children and what they are allowed to learn. Try to imagine a world where a central government is limiting our choices.  Try to imagine a society that censors our speech and cancels everything it deems inappropriate.  

You know who imagined a world somewhat like this?  Two authors that were required reading when I was in High School in the 70's:

1 - Aldous Huxley was the first to do so in his classic dystopian novel published in 1931 called "A Brave New World." Learn about what Aldous Huxley warned about. 

2 - George Orwell did it again.  He took a different approach in his classic dystopian novel published in 1949 called "1984." Learn more about what George Orwell warned about. 

Of course today, warnings about Marxists and Socialist/Communist ideologies have been replaced in our schools with lessons that lead to those ideologies. Critical Race Theory has replaced education on America exceptionalism in our schools. Even training sessions for government employees amount to indoctrination in Critical Race Theory and the premise that all whites are racists. 

The parallels between A Brave New World, 1894 and a One World Government are terribly and ominously obvious.  Only someone with Trump Derangement Syndrome who is in complete denial could fail to see them. 

There are some who see what the devil is up to. One of them, Paul Harvey, recorded a classic little audio story about him in 1965. If I were the Devil.

“The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he did not exist."

Verbal Kint in "The Usual Suspects"

(Thanks D.M.)

BLOOD ON THE MEDIA'S HANDS

 On my morning walk I recorded my thoughts about the election process. Please be patient while I express sadness for a great loss before I get to the heart of the matter.

THE LEAST LIKELY UNDERDOG

American's tend to root for the underdog. It is almost our nature. Perhaps it has something to do with the American Revolution. In the war for our freedom, you couldn't find a greater underdog story than the Continental Army versus England. 

Donald Trump is not someone who fits the profile of an underdog. To begin with he is a billionaire. His Apprentice show and the entire "Trump Tower" brand certainly do not fit the image of an underdog. He is always talking about "winning." Trump is more likely to be characterized as a bully than an as an underdog.  And yet ...in many respects Trump is the greatest underdog story there ever was. 

Before I even start to list why Trump is an underdog, the fact that the first political race he ever entered for was PRESIDENT automatically makes him an underdog out of the gate.

In his Primary race nobody gave him a chance. He was mocked and laughed at by even those in his own party. People not only mocked Trump, they thought there was something wrong with anyone who thought he would win. The pollsters have never given Trump a chance - not in 2016 or 2020.  

For 4+ years Trump has faced the hostilities of Nancy Pelosi's House, Adam Shift's National Intelligence Committee, Jerry Nadler's Judiciary Committee, the entire mainstream news media, Hollywood, most every TV show, the NFL, heads of Twitter, Amazon, Facebook, the NY Times, Washington Post and every other major Newspaper, not mention Democrat governors and mayors in NY and across the USA. 

And let's not forget the CIA, Comey's FBI, the Mueller investigators and the Washington D.C. establishment who have been out destroy Trump. 

Trump has even had to fight against China and a pandemic. 

Ironically, it took the prospects of Trump losing the Presidential election for folks who never thought of him as an underdog to finally start to see what Trump is up against. 

When you consider what Trump has been up against in American Presidential politics, Trump is a HUGE underdog story!  He is even an underdog for being an underdog.

America loves an underdog!