A Thanksgiving Song

Written By Don Shetterly

This was a song I helped create for a Thanksgiving Day exercise.  I believe we were going to Faith Baptist Church of Hampton, Iowa at the time.  This was an activity we did as a family.  I guess because I played the piano it seemed logical. 

It has been many years since I have seen the words to this and my copy is tattered and worn.  To the best of my knowledge and as far as I know, there are no other copies of this song.

While it is hard to remember back to 1975 when this was created, I believe my mom helped me do this with limited assistance from others in my family.  My mom is no longer living, so there is no way to check for sure. 

At the top of the page is written, "tune to Onward Christian Soldiers."  I'm going to write the words here, and please feel free to use it if you want.  Just give me (Don Shetterly) credit for the words.  Most likely it was around 1975 when it was created.

Thankful

Dear Lord, we love you every day.
We're thankful always too,
We praise you for your blessings,
And lift our hearts to you.
You give us hope and cheer our hearts and
you hear our prayers too.
Help us, Lord, to do your will and
keep us ever true.

Chorus
Now we thank you for our friends, for fellowship so sweet,
keep us ever faithful and make our lives complete.

(c) 1975 by Don Shetterly, Barb Shetterly




May you be thankful in whatever form that takes for you on this Thanksgiving Day.  I hope that your thankfulness will extend beyond this day and become a daily experience.  Be not only thankful but let your heart give the blessings you have to those who need a little help.

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Blog Post And Images (c) November 23, 2017, by Don Shetterly

• Permission is required in writing before any part of this blog post is reprinted, reworded or used in any form.
  
• You are welcomed to share the LINK to this blog post.  

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Pausing With A Thankful Heart

Written By Don Shetterly

I've been through some challenging moments lately.  In fact, it was getting to the point where I was beginning to question my own existence and if I wanted to continue in that arena.  I can take many things, but after a while when layers build upon layers, the weight gets to be almost too much.


In the past few months, I've had body memories of past abuse surface and cause me terrible physical pain, including a rash that would not go away for months.  I struggled to figure out how to let go of it and heal.  Normal methods that once worked were no longer working, and I was left feeling helpless and lost.

The next thing I knew, some healing work started to shift the rash and my life, just as dental pain came front and center.  I had been neglecting it, but then it got so bad that the pain got my attention.  I'm addressing these situations now, but as a result, I can see that it has been holding me back.  Here I have been asking the universe for help while ignoring it at the same time.

It Leaves Me Standing In Awe...

This brings me to why I'm pausing with a thankful heart.  I had a couple of things gifted to me out of the blue, and the timing of them could not be more perfect or more complex.  Even if I tried to tell the story, I would not know how to weave it together.  It all came together in a way that leaves me standing in awe with a thankful heart.

Both of these gifts feel a little suspicious to me (in a good way).  They feel suspicious because I'm not sure why they are entering my life at the time they are and in the way that they are.  All I know is that the universe has my attention.  No need to put any more flashing neon lights up.  I see what is behind it.

In fact, an angel card that I pulled yesterday and today signaled that there is more to this than just something being gifted to me.  I'm so thankful for what the universe has done, and I'm not going to squander it in any way.  I'm not going to discount it.  I will embrace the possibility of these things to help me see further than I can see.

I had to be reminded once again that sometimes we ask for things in a certain way, but they often show up differently.  I am pausing today with a thankful heart full of possibility and awe.

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Blog Post And Images (c) 2017 by Don Shetterly

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Can You Be Thankful

It is easy to be thankful when things are going well and times are good.  When moments are sailing by in smooth winds and calm waters, it is one things.  However, can you be thankful in the moments that are anything but easy and calm and smooth?

In those moments where it appears all hope is loss and there is no way to go on, how do we react?   There are many moments in life which will test us and try us and push us to our limits. When the storms of life blow hard against our days, can we be thankful?

There are moments where we look at the world around us and we see all the horror and killing and cheating and stealing.  We see the moments where it looks like all is collapsing in this world.  We see moments where we can hardly believe our eyes.  Can you be thankful in these times?

It may sound strange to be thankful in times of misery, despair and horrors.  Yet, if we are only thankful when things go well, aren't we missing out?  Even in the worst of situations and the most trying of times, there is always something to be thankful for.

You may have to look hard...

Yes, you may have to look hard and carefully for those thankful moments.  They may be nothing more than a little spec you see.  If you don't see them or attempt to see them, they may float by and you may likely miss all that is there.

Being thankful in the difficult times is the tough part.  It is the part that asks us to stretch ourselves beyond the moment we are in and look towards a future where there is hope and possibility.  It is a moment where we attempt to see much more than we realize is there.

Don't just be thankful in the good moments and bountiful times!  Find a way to be thankful in the days that attempt to pull you under and take you down.  Your thankfulness will be an energy that may help propel you forward.

Look for the thankful moments.  Look for all that you have going for you, because in current moments, we don't always see everything that lies before us.  It is through a thankful heart, that we become more than we are at and journey into more than we can see.

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Blog Post And Images (c) 2016 by Don Shetterly

• Permission required before any part of this blog post is reprinted, reworded or used in any form. 
• You are welcomed to share the LINK to this blog post.  

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We Take Things For Granted

We get so used to what we have.  We miss the big things.  We miss the little things.  People, places, and things are just there and so we take things for granted.  Everything becomes all too familiar, rather than unique and special.

Sometimes we are so inundated with everything coming our way in a day, we don't stop the time to see what is there.  We don't notice what someone special to us, does during the day.  We don't notice that special sound or sight or smell around us in the small moments.  All too often, we take things for granted.

When was the last time you said thank-you to someone close to you.  When was the last time you thanked a random stranger or gave them a smile.  When was the last time you let someone know how great of a job they did or just how much they mean to you.  All too often, we take things for granted.

Beauty That Surrounds Me

The green against the clear blue sky. What a contrast of colors. Different shades of green appear from dark to light and reflective to dull. The sun hits them as if to highlight a new hue every few moments.

Birds run and play, flying from one branch to another. Landing on a high wire they are suspended far above the ground. The occasional butterfly flutters past as the dragonfly hovers above the fence. Ever so vigilantly, the bird flies to the ground searching, hopping and looking around.

The air is still with the occasional slight movement of a tree leaf high above the tree. White flowers stretch out as buds from their branches. Purple flowers reach for the ground from what once was a bush taken under by frost.

Sounds from near and far drift by as a rustle of wind caresses my face. A bird chirps, then a few birds answer in return. A truck is near by while people chat as if is no tomorrow exists. A dog barks his voice into the background.

The air is warm and somewhat heavy. The shade from the sun is a momentary escape. The morning dew glistens on the grass as if a wake up call of nourishment has arrived.

The water is clear and calm. Reflections fill the edges as if someone painted what is there. It looks deep but yet it is shallow. The random vibration of ripples appear as if it is a magic trick to be played. The water is calm, but yet it acts as if it is full of movement and life.

Just sitting here and taking this all in is a like a breath of fresh air. It feels like a daily reset button in life. My body senses the lightness, connectedness of the flowing moments. I gaze at the morning sunlight caressing the landscape. My mind feels full in appreciation and awe.

May I carry this moment through my day. May I continue to feel safe and secure. My thankful heart rejoices in all the beauty that surrounds me. It is abundant.


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Thankful Abundance In Life

I'm thankful today, for all I've been given.

I'm thankful for all I've been given in life. This includes the pain, the bad stuff and the difficult lessons of life.

I'm thankful for the supportive and caring people around me. I feel the love so strong in this moment.

I'm thankful for those who showed me harm in my life, for they have helped me grow in ways I most likely would not have.

I'm thankful for the beauty that is all around me. This includes those parts of our world who cast shadows in the night and darkness during the day. For it shows that light is all around me.

I'm thankful for the sounds and music around me. I hear the screams and the silence but together they show me the full width of the sound spectrum.

I'm thankful for restful moments in my life. They bring moments of reflection through the confusion of stress.

I'm thankful for my fears in life. For my fears and discomfort give way to showing me, areas of growth in my life and helping to keep my feet on the path.

I'm thankful for everything in my life. I realize all the events that swirl around me like a tornado, will lead to days of sunshine and calm.

I'm thankful today, for all I've been given.

I'm truly blessed.

I breathe it all in.

10 Things I’m Thankful For

1) That I’m taking care of myself more and more and really continuing to discover all there is about myself. No more do I go through life just as a human but as a human that is evolving.

2) Having a partner that cares so much about me, that loves me unconditionally and puts up with all my faults, heartaches, fears and quirks. I’ve never had that in my life until I met Jeff and I’m so thankful that we met and are spending our lives together as we just marked our 9 year anniversary.

3) Having a house that stayed dry through the hurricane and not losing everything we owned like many in our areas did.

4) Having a home which we just love and enjoy and gives us a nice quality of life.

5) Having two new kittens that are so adorable and fun to be around along with snuggles who is the ruler of the kittens and the house or so she thinks.

6) Getting enough income this year to make it through the year without completely falling on my face. In addition, I was able to make some purchases that I badly needed and had put off for many years.

7) A new president being elected who is down to earth, a common person and hopefully one that will truly be a President of the people. It is refreshing to see the President elect embrace those who are gay instead of bashing them and for that I am truly thankful.

8) All that is growing in my garden and the great vegetables that I get out of it.

9) The things that I as well as many others take for granted. Things that appear to be necessities when in fact they are luxuries. It wasn’t that long ago in my life that going to be on a full stomach was quite an accomplishment for a day.

10) Friends far and wide who I know in person or online, who have moved away or we moved away from them, for some that I speak to frequently and for some it feels more distant.



What are you thankful for?