The thoughts and ideas expressed below are exclusively those of Jack Straley and www.justplaintalkwithjack.com  we may agree, and that’s fine, or we may disagree, that’s okay too.  My sole purpose is to encourage others to think, study, and become involved. Exercise your freedom and above all, when presented the opportunity, please vote.

Fall is a great time of the year.  Looking back over the year, all seasons are great but fall is really fantastic.  Seasons of the year can compare in many ways with the seasons of our lives.  Each season should be lived and enjoyed to the fullest.  Appreciate the beauty of the time, cope with the challenges of the time, and take time to be thankful for every experience and blessing you have.  Fall gives us a special time for Thanksgiving.

With our government in disarray we still need to be thankful for the chaos we have and the opportunity to change it.  We need to be thankful for what we have and for most of us to be able to enjoy retirement.  There were challenges along the way, but we survived.

In the spring of the year I remember cleaning the yard.  Pulling weeds and spreading fertilizer for the grass.  The spring and summer took many hours watering and grooming the grass and plants to make them grow.  Once they were growing there were endless hours trimming and mowing to make the place look like something we were proud of.  Continually more weeds grew, yet we watered and fertilized more.  More trimming and mowing was called for.

The big beautiful trees, both in my yard and the neighbors, grew leaves that offered shade and allowed the warm breezes to cool a little.  Spring and summer were both wonderful with the green plants, the late afternoon or evening thunderstorms, the picnics and backyard barbeques.  Oh yes, the thunderstorms brought more trash and limbs to be cleared.

Late summer brought thoughts of Labor Day weekend get a ways, Thanksgiving and even early Christmas shopping.  The days were hot and dry and all the grass we so carefully nurtured began to wilt and dry up.  The water in the rivers, lakes and swimming pools began to cool.  The beautiful limbs of the trees, covered with big leaves began to let go their grasp on some.  Correct that.  There were tons of leaves on the ground that were once on the limbs providing shade, not created another job.  Today I have over 40 bags of leaves on the curd awaiting removal by the city.  Before I’m through they will be another 20 bags, or more.

Later this week we will have the day of Thanksgiving and celebration.  We, my wife and I, have already been out Christmas shopping and planning for Thanksgiving.  We have completed about 85 percent of our shopping and now prepare to ship them to the recipients.  When family lives far away, you miss the excitement of seeing those open gifts and the laughter and fun that comes with the season.  But we know all will be having a great time around their Christmas trees.

Our Thanksgiving table will be overflowing with excellent food prepared by loving hands.  In our family, we all take part in the preparing.  We won’t have a large crowd, just four of us, but we will have enough food for a small army.  Before eating we will take a moment to give thanks for all the bounty we have.  We will thank God for all the good and for seeing us through the bad that befell our path.

We have wars raging around this world that are terrible.  Some forces are simply evil and are surely led by satanic power.  There is poverty and destitution in all corners of the world.  These are all negatives we are reminded of daily, however there is more positive influences than all the negatives.  On this day we need to realize that and appreciate it.

Sunday, I sat in church and reflected on the words from Pastor Chuck, I remember graduating from the kids table to the big peoples table.  What a great feeling and wonderful rite of passage that was.  He asked the congregation to name one thing they were thankful for, and no one repeated the same item.  There is always something to be thankful for, sometimes we just take it for granted.

Thursday will be Thanksgiving Day.  Everyday should be.  We need to be thankful for every breath we take, every bite of food we eat, every piece of clothing we have, our homes and our families.  The list of things to be thankful for is endless.  We need to make everyday a day of Thanksgiving.  There is always something to be thankful for.

Other than my wife and family I am most thankful for my God, that has loaned me everything I will ever need in this world, and the next.  On this Thanksgiving Day I say Thank You God and I am proud to say I am a follower of yours.