Thanksgiving cold has landed on Little Egypt. The low temperature is forecast for 22 degrees…tonight. I like the cold…but not as much as I used to. At one time in our much earlier years…MJ and I considered moving north when we retired…but now we are happy in Southern Illinois. Below 0 temperatures do not excite me. The lovely leaves have almost all fallen to the ground. A few are holding on for dear life…much as we humans do. It has been said that ‘hope spring eternal,’ and I have found this to be true…but you must open your heart to receive hope.

Nature assists me in the hope department. When I see the glories of God’s creation and ponder my little place in his Grand Design…I am filled with hope…once again. Hope is a bit like your automobile…it runs out of gas and must be refilled on a regular basis. Recently I have seen the most beautiful carpets of leaves on the ground. Leaves of gold and red and yellow…seemed to be illuminated by the Sun. As I walked the Campus of Southen Illinois University @ Carbondale this morning…an old friend saw me and came up and gave me a hug and commented how they had not seen me for some time and how happy that they were to see me. Suddenly I was full of hope and the bright promise of tomorrow. I reminisced on the many Thanksgiving Weeks that I had been employed at the University. They were by and large happy weeks. Everyone was in the spirit of the holidays…and the preparing of their Thanksgiving Turkeys. Many years ago I was talking with a couple of members of the skilled crafts and one mentioned that he was going to smoke his Turkey while the other gentleman said that he was going to drink his…’Wild Turkey Whiskey!’ The Campus was a Ghost Town just prior to Thanksgiving. Just a handful of staff…here and there…thinking about the year past and their hopes for a better year to come.

Advent begins this Sunday. The patient hope for all Christians…that Jesus is to be born…and peace will reign throughout the land.

‘Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of Hosts will perform this.’ Isaiah 9:7. KJV

‘And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.’ Revelation 21:4. KJV