For these things I am grateful!

This morning I watched a video of my dad teaching on a Wednesday night in 2007, he looked into the camera and quoted Psalm 100, which is the first scripture I ever committed to memory back when I was six-years of age. As he spoke the words I began to cry wishing that I could reach into the computer screen and touch his face, but what I felt was thankful that I have a heritage of which I can be proud.

Both my maternal and paternal grandfathers were wonderful men of God. My mother’s dad never went past the second grade in school because he had to quit and help plow the fields on the family farm in South Georgia. He would tell us how he would cry as he watched other children walk to school and vowed that he would make sure his children got an education, that from an eight-year old boy was lofty thinking wasn’t it? But this un-educated man became one of the top men in his church’s organization, he met with several of the Presidents of the United States and was served “high tea” by Wallis Simpson whom Prince Edward, Duke of Windsor, formerly King Edward Vlll, abdicated his throne to marry. In that meeting he explained the way the church tithed on a voluntary basis and this important man sat and listened and was so impressed that the people did that and wondered how wonderful it would be if the country could be run that way. His list of attributes goes on and on.

Then there is my other grandfather who came to this country as a twelve-year old in a cattle boat to escape being slaughtered by the Turkish Muslims who were beheading and skinning people alive who claimed to be Christians, and they are continuing to do that today. He made a good living without ever accepting government help and both he and my grandmother were very proud to become tax-paying citizens of this great country. They raised five boys and a daughter who all went on to become ministers and the daughter the wife of a minister. My Pop was known as one who spoke prophetically and indeed he spoke into my life many things that came to pass.

The heritage of my grandparents, my own parents and my wonderful daughter and son, and their spouses and my very talented and beautiful grandchildren and many wonderful friends, I have so much for which to be thankful and just wanted to say it out loud! I am so grateful for all of God’s blessings to me!