I have a 94-year old Grandma who still lives in a small town in Central Illinois, in the same house she lived in with Grandpa (married over 70 years!), and raised her two daughters (one of them my mother).
She visited us on Thanksgiving, and my sister, brother and I posed for this photo with her.
Hi, Grandma! — You go girl!
Today, my sons lead worship in the Upper Room at Calvary Memorial Church in Oak Park, Illinois. Noel played acoustic guitar and lead the singing, Marshall played keyboard, and Taylor played drums. They were assisted by Eric Guyer on electric guitar, Blake Stratton on bass, and Kristin Hoving on backup vocals.
They did a great job and I am very proud of them, and the whole team.
What can I say? I’m just a proud father!
We have a family tradition. The Friday after Thanksgiving, we all pile in the van and head up to Bethany Beach in Sawyer, Michigan, to the summer home of some friends. When everyone is there, we all drive about 10 miles into the country to a family owned tree farm, and cut down our Christmas Tree for the year. We tie it on the roof and head back to Bethany Beach… sometime stopping at Drier’s Butcher Shop on the way back, to pick up cheese, pepper sticks, and other goodies.
We spend the rest of the day eating, laughing, playing games, singing, walking the beach, and just having fun with our friends and family. Usually we stay as late as we can, and drive back home well after dark. It’s a good way to reflect on all that we have to be thankful for, and get in gear for the Advent season, preparing for Christmas.
Here is what I read at our dinner table on Thanksgiving Day.
Abraham Lincoln, Thanksgiving Proclamation, October 3, 1863
“No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy.”
“I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, … to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens. And I recommend to them that while offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him for such singular deliverances and blessings, they do also, with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience, commend to his tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife in which we are unavoidably engaged, and fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty Hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it as soon as may be consistent with the Divine purposes to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquility and Union.”
Psalm 103 – Of David – Reasons to be Thankful
Praise the LORD, my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name.
Praise the LORD, my soul, and forget not all his benefits—
who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases,
who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion,
who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
The LORD works righteousness and justice for all the oppressed.
He made known his ways to Moses, his deeds to the people of Israel:
The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love.
He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever;
he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities.
For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him;
as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.
As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him;
for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust.
As for mortals, their days are like grass, they flourish like a flower of the field;
the wind blows over it and it is gone, and its place remembers it no more.
But from everlasting to everlasting the LORD’s love is with those who fear him, and his righteousness with their children’s children—
with those who keep his covenant and remember to obey his precepts.
The LORD has established his throne in heaven, and his kingdom rules over all.
Praise the LORD, you his angels, you mighty ones who do his bidding, who obey his word.
Praise the LORD, all his heavenly hosts, you his servants who do his will.
Praise the LORD, all his works everywhere in his dominion.
Praise the LORD, my soul.
Today, at 10 AM, we met as a small band of family and friends, to lay the ashes of Steve Meyer to rest. It was a beautiful, cool, end-of-summer day. His remains are buried between two Maple trees in a quiet corner of Concordia Cemetery in River Forest, Illinois. I think Steve would like this spot.
Dr. Ray Pritchard shared some thoughts and memories of Steve. He ended by reading this incredible passage from 1 Thessalonians 4: 13-18.
“Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope. We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. According to the Lord’s own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage each other with these words.”
Robin read a letter to Steve. It was an awesome, from the heart, love letter. There was not a dry eye after that was read. Deb sang “Jesus I am Resting, Resting,” and I accompanied her on guitar. Ray ended with a prayer.
As the crowd broke up, I took a moment to kneel and touch the box containing Steve’s ashes. I prayed and thanked the Lord for making Steve and for his friendship to me. I placed Steve completely in the Lord’s care and said “good-bye,” until we see each other again in Heaven.
I love you, Steve. You will always be with me in my heart and memory. You were a good man and a good friend. I hope that I can be as good of a friend to someone else, as you have been to me.
Wait for me. I will meet you in heaven and I’ll bring my guitar. Can’t wait to see and hear what you’ve been composing!
No more tears.