The Macy's Moment

Yesterday, the Macy's Parade was held  in the coldest temperatures on record! Hope all of you were warm! This is from November 27, 2014.

I watched most of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade this morning at the home of Phil and Susan in Haven, Kansas. Susan is Sally's sister and her husband, Phil, is a distant cousin on our mom's side. It was # 88 for Macy's, a holiday tradition for many American families which first marched down 34th Street in 1924. I'm not sure if Mom and Dad went in person when we lived in New York- I was too young to remember- but I know Mom loved parades. 

My earlier statement about watching the parade was semi-inaccurate. A more precise way of putting it is that I watched Jane watch the parade. Jane, who will turn three in late December, is the daughter of Katy and Bryan and Katy is the daugher of the aforementioned Phil and Susan. Jane was transfixed by everything on the television screen. When she recognized a float, she would point at the screen and excitedly blurt out, "Thomas the Train!" "Dora the Explorer!" "Elmo!" She loved the marching bands and The Rockettes, too. Everything was new and exciting to Jane. To me, it was no different than the countless televised holiday extravaganzas I've snoozed through. To Jane, it was an amazing new world.

Jane is a charmer, very personable with a good vocabulary. I smiled later in the day when Jane prayed and thanked the Lord, "for everyone who is quiet"- the family had been on the boisterous side- and "for the boxes!"- her cousin, Rachel had just opened several presents for her wedding in three weeks. The ability to be astonished by the world around us and to be grateful for the smallest blessing is a characteristic we tend to lose as we grow older. I love the old hymn Can You Count The Stars? by German theologian Johann Wilhelm Hey which was translated into English by Elmer Jorgensen. We sang it often when I was little and I particularly grew to love verse 3: 
Can you count the many children
In their little beds at night,
Who without a thought of sorrow
Rise again at morning light?
God the Lord, who dwells in heaven,
Loving care to each has given.
He has not forgotten thee.
He has not forgotten thee.
I greatly admire that little ones can live without worry. Jane had a few dramatic moments today- she is after all not yet three- but she lives a life of wonder and honesty, knowing she is loved. I'm trying to wangle a birthday party invitation from her but that's another story. This Thursday morning, Jane didn't let the parade pass by unnoticed. On this Thanksgiving Day, I'm thankful for her example and reminder to open my eyes to the blessings around me.


Applicable quote of the day:
“I love these little people; and it is not a slight thing when they, who are so fresh from God, love us.”
Charles Dickens

God bless,
Steve
Luke 18:1
www.hawleybooks.com
E-mail me at steve@hawleybooks.com