Wednesday, November 26, 2003

7:53 AM A really bad idea for turkey stuffing. But some people probably think this is a gourmet dish. 7:25 AM Only 1 more day till the Pastor’s Stroll. The weather right now looks iffy, but unless it is pouring rain, the pastor’s stroll will go on. Don’t forget the continental breakfast at 7:30 AM and the Prayer and Praise service at 8 AM in the Dining Room. 7:23 AM Last year Michelle Malkin published a deeply-moving “Thanksgiving Prayer” that begins this way:

Dear Heavenly Father, As we gather together to count our blessings, 381 years after the first Thanksgiving Day, we realize how little appreciation we have expressed for this thy bounty: For sunbeams and sunsets and sun-kissed cheeks, for rainbows and raindrops and rain sticks, for mountain dew and prairie frost, for harvest moons and shooting stars, we give thee praise. For Blueberry Hill and Blackberry Creek, for Apple Valley and Orange County, for Plum Borough and Peachtree City, for Pineapple Park and Coconut Grove, we give thee praise. For coal miners and construction workers, for truckers and bakers, for mail sorters and short-order cooks, for ranch hands and stage hands, for accountants who keep honest books, for politicians who keep their promises, for stay-at-home moms and double-shift dads, we give thee praise.

To read the entire prayer, click here. 7:19 AM Speaking of Thanksgiving, for many years Rob and Mary Gaskill have prepared and served Thanksgiving dinner to over 100 men at the Oak Park YMCA. They elist the aid of many friends who help prepare turkeys, mountains of dressing, huge trays of green beans, mashed potatoes, rolls, pumpkin pies, and all the other trimmings. For the last few years, Rob and Mary have invited me to come to the YMCA at 12:15 PM on Thanksgiving to meet the men and lead the prayer before the meal. Yesterday Rob asked if I would do it again this year and I was glad to say yes. The men who would otherwise be alone on Thanksgiving are so grateful for the meal and for the friendship. It’s an honor to be a tiny part of something so uplifting on a day devoted to remembering how blessed we are. 7:07 AM The Thanksgiving countdown has begun. Marlene did most of the shopping for the meal on Monday, then she set the table yesterday. This morning we put the turkey in the brine—a mixture of various ingredients, including beer. So right now the turkey is completely submerged in a plastic bucket in our garage. Marlene found the recipe for “brine turkey” in one of those holiday magazines—or maybe it was in a newspaper insert—well, I really don’t know where she got it, but it was something like that. It’s a recipe from Emeril Lagasse—”Kick it up a notch!”—made famous by the Food Network. He says the brine will make for a “happy, happy turkey on a happy, happy day.” We’ll see.