J Walking

J Walking

Thanks giving

posted by David Kuo | 8:51am Thursday November 22, 2007

In our bit of the world it is Thanksgiving as it ought to be – save the 70 degree temperatures. The trees are orange and yellow and… brown. The leaves are falling. All the kids are under our roof and running and playing and squealing. There is a dead organic, free-range, tofu-eating (ate), former yoga-practicing, self-actualized, anti-global warming, pro-vegetarian turkey in our fridge. There are pounds of apples (granny smith, of course) to be pealed for a pie. There are slices of bread strewn randomly across the kitchen to dry (for the stuffing)(Yes, I could stick them in the oven but this is what my mom does). We have some friends coming over later (though we don’t actually know how many). All is well.
And on this day I am going to try and think non-stop about only one thing – giving thanks. I’m not going to be concerned about anything. I’m not going to be disappointed by anything. I’m not going to be ticked about anything. I’m going to be thankful…
…that my daughters all piled on my chair to hug me and my son and I are going to be playing football together (in about five years) and Kim hasn’t fired me as her husband and Sam is the sweetest Newfie and I am alive and we have this community – fellowship.
I am thankful for this blog. I had no idea what a blog was a year ago when this started. I’d never visited one. Someone just suggested it. Over the last year I have come to know so many of you as friends and I am so thankful for each of you. That sounds cliched (as does this) but it happens to be true (also cliche).
Happy Thanksgiving.



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Doug

posted November 22, 2007 at 9:34 am


Happy Thanksgivinf to you and yours, and thanks be to God for, among other things, the collection of wackos, sickos, sarcasts, smart-alecks and sincerely sanctimonious scolds of which I am a proud and grateful member on this blog. It’s been an invigorating, challenging, amusing and educational time getting to know all of you and I wish you all the best blessings of ordained indulgence today.
Except Canucklehead, who, as a Canadian, had Thanksgiving a month back. Eat straw, pal.
I also give thanks that verbosity defeats cliché.



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Kat

posted November 22, 2007 at 10:20 am


This blog has made me mad, made me laugh, made me cry and made me think. Thanks for all you do, and I hope you have a great Thanksgiving…..



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Paul of Potomac

posted November 22, 2007 at 12:07 pm


Thank you, David for initiating this blog and sharing your insights, struggles, and joys. May God bless you and your family during this time of Thanksgiving.



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Pete

posted November 22, 2007 at 1:53 pm


A nice Thanksgiving blog, David. Thanks for it, and best wishes for a fulfilling day (food and otherwise).
Am including an excerpt from my manuscript (“Activating the forgotten commandment”) that just seemed fitting:
We often emphasize what we ‘get’ from God. We get love. We get joy. We get peace. We get salvation. We get healings. We get the Holy Spirit. We get answers to prayer. We get to go to heaven. All those are wonderful! They are part of what draws us to Christ. They make living for Christ fulfilling!
Yet they’re only where we begin as Christians.
When we were children, we enjoyed getting presents at birthdays and Christmas. Were we as excited about giving? No! Our parents had to teach us to do that. Many of us didn’t fully learn that it was ‘more blessed to give than to receive’ until we had children of our own.
Neither of the two commandments Jesus said are most important talks about what we get! They both talk about what we give! We are to give love to God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength; and to give love and help to our neighbors.
We begin as ‘babes in Christ,’ thoroughly enjoying what we get. That’s fine. Wouldn’t we worry about children who didn’t enjoy getting presents? But God doesn’t want us to stay there. He longs for us to grow up, mature, and come to know the joys and blessings of giving.



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Thinker

posted November 22, 2007 at 2:07 pm


Just finished cooking a big bird – no – not The Big Bird_- this will be the first time we have had Thanksgiving without one of our children. She’s in Chicago – a little lonely – but will be here for Christmas next month. I give thanks for all the lives we touch – all of us and for a particularly sweet moment last night. My youngest arrived from Iowa and all of her friends came over. I made soup and muffins and put it on the table. But they all joined hands – all those 22 year old kids and prayed in thanksgiving for one another, for soup, for peace and two of the guys prayed “thanks for being the kind of friends where we all hold hands and no one thinks anything about it.” For some reason it was very sweet. All that religious education, Jesuit colleges – has payed off – they pray and love one another. A friend wondered where the modern saints are. I think that St. Teresa of Avila would be organizing people to feed one another. St. Francis would be organizing to save the planet. St. Benedict – well – he would have a monastary where refugees come and feel the hospitality of God. There would be saints marching for peace, for justice and it just occurred to me that I am surrounded by saints in the making.
God bless everyone.



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Larry Parker

posted November 22, 2007 at 3:05 pm


Happy Thanksgiving, David.
(And among my thanks are to you for a sweet and heartfelt post to put us in the right spirit.)



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SkipChurch

posted November 22, 2007 at 6:52 pm


You’re a good guy, David. What a sweet post for our holiday!
I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving, and stayed safe if traveling.
May Fortuna Attend!
…now where can I put all this FOOD?



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canucklehead

posted November 22, 2007 at 8:53 pm


Best of your holiday to all my J-Walking friends.
And when the chronic indigestion smites thee at 3:33 a.m. tomorrow morning, may you resolve again never to eat so much.
Burrrrp!



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marcia erickson

posted November 22, 2007 at 8:59 pm


Happy Thanksgiving David, Kim and family!



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Donny

posted November 23, 2007 at 7:07 am


Yesterday, I did think of every single person that I have “interacted” with on this blog. I do give thanks that we live in America where we can celebrate Thanksgiving and mean it. We are amazingly blessed. It is a great day. I was at work and when I could reflect on the things important to me, David was front and center and lo and behold, you’ll were there too.
May the peace and gift of Christ Jesus be with you all.



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Donny

posted November 23, 2007 at 7:10 am


Darn it! Born in the south, raised in California. That should read: “Y’all were there too.”
(Mushy typo’s, what can I say.)



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