Encouragement

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A Thanksgiving To Remember
© 2011

by

Stephen A. Peterson


Army Specialist Philip Braver used to think of Thanksgiving Day as being a day of turkey, football and apple pie. Being away from the United States having been deployed to Iraq changed all of that.

On the day before the feast, members of his unit as well as himself were busy cleaning up their section of the base camp following a half day of shelling by foreign fighters. In Specialist Braver’s mind, there no elements of Thanksgiving just smoke, rubble and trash all over the place. Knowing that Thanksgiving was in less than 24 hours away he became miserably homesick, tired and anxious. In spite of the terrible situation, Specialist Braver kept hearing:

For the beauty of the earth
For the glory of the skies,
For the love which from our birth
Over and around us lies.

Refrain
(Lord of all, to You we raise,
This our hymn of grateful praise.)


Refrain

For the joy of ear and eye,
For the heart and mind's delight,
For the mystic harmony
Linking sense to sound and sight.

Refrain

For the joy of human love,
Brother, sister, parent, child,
Friends on earth and friends above,
For all gentle thoughts and mild.

Refrain

For Thy Church, that evermore
Lifteth holy hands above,
Offering up on every shore
Her pure sacrifice of love.


Refrain

For the martyrs' crown of light,
For Thy prophets' eagle eye,
For Thy bold confessors' might,
For the lips of infancy.

Refrain

For Thy virgins' robes of snow,
For Thy maiden mother mild,
For Thyself, with hearts aglow,
Jesus, Victim undefiled.

Refrain

For each perfect gift of Thine,
To our race so freely given,
Graces human and divine,
Flowers of earth and buds of Heaven.

A prayer and song he and his family said led by his grandfather as the entire family gathered around the huge dining room table load full of every kind of food imaginable.

Specialist Braver was brought back to reality by a now angry Platoon Sergeant. “Get busy, Braver! We need your help. What the devil are you just standing there! We’ve got to clear this area so we can move stuff in.”

Within seven hours, it was dark. Much of the area was cleared making it possible for service personnel, vehicles and materials to be moved about without difficulty. Soon it was lights out to get some sleep as everyone knew tomorrow, Thanksgiving Day, would be another work day clearing away more debris. “What a bore!” Specialist Braver sounded off his frustrations then off to sleep mostly due to exhaustion.

“Come on! Get up!” yelled the Platoon Sergeant. “Up and at ‘em We have a lot to do!”

“Alright already!” returned a disgruntled and tired Specialist Braver. “It’s Thanksgiving! Can’t we have a little extra time in the rack? Heck, we worked all day yesterday! We were told we did a great job. So what do you say, Sarge?”

“I said get up right now, Braver! Move it! Move it!”

After cleaning up, the Platoon found itself face to face with three military vehicle loaded their Thanksgiving meal compliments of their Command. In addition to food, there were also several large screen televisions with football games on two screens and movies on two other screens for those wishing to see television other than football.

“Just like home!” replied Specialist Braver.

Within a matter of hours, Specialist Braver bowed his head for his Commander’s Thanksgiving prayer, “Jesus, Lord of the Universe, we thank You for this food and these service personnel to share your bounty with. These things we thank You. Amen.”

Specialist Braver breathed deeply and slowly savored the aroma of the not, still steaming turkey though still in the aluminum covered pans. Pecan, apple and pumpkin pie, banana nut bread, cranberry sauce are on the side along with steaming baked apples, cornbread, bread stuffing and more. All the ingredients just as he had imagined. But after a while the food did not seem so important.

After the prayer, the Company Commander sat down across from Specialist Braver. “What do you think Specialist? I understand you were disappointed with all the work you had to do. Well, the reason for us pushing everyone was to have everything ready for just this Thanksgiving celebration happen.”

“It is not the same as being with my family back in the states but it is close real close. I’m here with my second family. People I have known for nearly five years. The Commander did a real good job with the prayer too!”

“Great, Specialist! And oh, by the way, I have your family back home on the computer. Would you like to see and talk to them?”

Without hesitation Specialist Braver jumped from his chair to take the call that included a video connection where family members came together to wish Philip a blessed and safe Thanksgiving.

Specialist Braver felt himself having grown up a great deal that Thanksgiving so far away as he sat before the webcam to talk to members of his family. “From now on,” he thought. “Thanksgiving will be a lot less about tables full of food and a great deal more about giving thanks to God for his family and friends around the table.

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