Thanksgiving: We Have Lift Off

Thanksgiving 

We have Liftoff

This is Steve and welcome back to another segment of Press On produced by Restless the Podcast. 

This is called Thanksgiving We Have Lift Off.

For my family Thanksgiving conjures up a host of memories. In the 60’s and 70’s my brothers and sister I learned to be content in small things. In a way unbeknowning to us we managed our expectations. 

The relationships we had with each other and gathering of family were valued. These gatherings provided an opportunity for extraordinary creativity. 

One year my grandfather a veteran of world war came up to stay with us. Despite his respiratory issues caused by being mustered gassed by the germans he was an avid pipe smoker. 

One day as he often did he fell asleep with his pipe next to him in the ash tray. My younger brother Gary and I avid fans of the Apollo space program quietly took his pipe, removed all the tobacco and repacked it with match-heads from at least two books of matches. We then topped it off with tobacco and waited.

 A few minutes later he awoke and as predicted went for his pipe. We looked on… waiting for the pyro show to begin…in an instant there was a flash that filled the room then flames steadily built until it reached maximum height. Rumors have that it they danced across the ceiling. I looked over at Gary and the look on his face was like an arsonist admiring his work. I cant verify this but I thought I heard the words “Houston we have ignition and liftoff.” 

As the flame died down reality set in and we expected trouble would be coming our way. Surprisingly our laid back grandfather looked at his pipe looked over at us then looked at his pipe again then continued smoking it as nothing had happened. Needless to say it was a milestone memory.

As a family we were thankful for the little things because we didn’t have any of the big things 

There is much more to this story but for today think about this:

Hear the words of C.S. Lewis:

We ought to give thanks for all fortune: if it is good, because it is good; if bad, because it works in us patience, humility, contempt of this world and the hope of our eternal country.

This Thanksgiving manage your expectations regarding what you are thankful for by focusing on things eternal rather than temporal.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.