A Few Of FR's Finest....Every Day....11-27-03 thru 11-30-03....Happy Thanksgiving To The Finest

Mama_Bear | 11-27-03 | Mama_Bear

[dansangel]

A Few of FR's Finest....Every Day

Free Republic made its debut in September, 1996, and the forum was added in early 1997. Over 100,000 people have registered for posting privileges on Free Republic, and the forum is read daily by tens of thousands of concerned citizens and patriots from all around the country and the world.

A Few of FR's Finest....Every Day was introduced on June 24, 2002. It's only a small room in JimRob's house where we can get to know one another a little better; salute and support our military and our leaders; pray for those in need; and congratulate those deserving. We strive to keep our threads entertaining, fun, and pleasing to look at, and often have guest writers contribute an essay, or a profile of another FReeper.

On Mondays please visit us to see photos of A FEW OF FR'S VETERANS AND ACTIVE MILITARY

If you have a suggestion, or an idea, or if there's a FReeper you would like to see featured, please drop one of us a note in FR mail.

We're having fun and hope you are!
~ Billie, Mama_Bear, dansangel, dutchess, Aquamarine ~

Thanksgiving
by Edgar Guest

GETTIN' together to smile an' rejoice,
An' eatin' an' laughin' with folks of your choice;
An' kissin' the girls an' declarin' that they
Are growin more beautiful day after day;
Chattin' an' braggin' a bit with the men,
Buildin' the old family circle again;
Livin' the wholesome an' old-fashioned cheer,
Just for awhile at the end of the year.

Greetings fly fast as we crowd through the door
And under the old roof we gather once more
Just as we did when the youngsters were small;
Mother's a little bit grayer, that's all.
Father's a little bit older, but still
Ready to romp an' to laugh with a will.
Here we are back at the table again
Tellin' our stories as women an men.

Bowed are our heads for a moment in prayer;
Oh, but we're grateful an' glad to be there.
Home from the east land an' home from the west,
Home with the folks that are dearest an' best.
Out of the sham of the cities afar
We've come for a time to be just what we are.
Here we can talk of ourselves an' be frank,
Forgettin' position an' station an' rank.

Give me the end of the year an' its fun
When most of the plannin' an' toilin' is done;
Bring all the wanderers home to the nest,
Let me sit down with the ones I love best,
Hear the old voices still ringin' with song,
See the old faces unblemished by wrong,
See the old table with all of its chairs
An I'll put soul in my Thanksgivin' prayers.

In searching for a Thanksgiving prayer, I came across this from last year. I don't think I could find anything more fitting to include in this years Thanksgiving presentation. Thank you, Michelle Malkin, for this.....

November 27, 2002

By Michelle Malkin

Dear Heavenly Father,

As we gather together to count our blessings, 381 years after the first Thanksgiving Day, we realize how little appreciation we have expressed for this thy bounty:

For sunbeams and sunsets and sun-kissed cheeks, for rainbows and raindrops and rain sticks, for mountain dew and prairie frost, for harvest moons and shooting stars, we give thee praise.

For Blueberry Hill and Blackberry Creek, for Apple Valley and Orange County, for Plum Borough and Peachtree City, for Pineapple Park and Coconut Grove, we give thee praise.

For coal miners and construction workers, for truckers and bakers, for mail sorters and short-order cooks, for ranch hands and stage hands, for accountants who keep honest books, for politicians who keep their promises, for stay-at-home moms and double-shift dads, we give thee praise.

O God, our help in ages past, our hope for years to come, we thank you this day for "Proud to Be an American" and "These Colors Don't Run," for "Let Freedom Ring" and "Of Thee I Sing," for "Every Heart Beats True" and for "Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue."

For Purple Hearts and Bronze Stars, for Green Berets and Gold Stripes, for the 10th Mountain Division and the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit, for the KC-130 Crew and the 101st Airborne Division, for the soldiers and SEALS and special forces who made the ultimate sacrifice this year, and for all who continue to protect and to serve, we give thee praise.

For the Border Patrol and citizens on patrol, for the National Guard and Guardian Angels, for the USO and the VFW, we thank you, O God, our creator and redeemer.

For the Pentagon rebuilt and Ground Zero restored and the faith of a nation renewed, for "Semper Paratus" and "Non sibi sed patriae," for "Never forget" and "Never surrender," for freedom from fear and freedom to dream, for free minds and free markets, for freedom with responsibility, we give thee praise.

For the Song of Solomon and the Prayer of St. Francis, for "the Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer," for "without vision we perish," for Proverbs 28, for John 3:16, for "The Old Rugged Cross," for "The Solid Rock," and for "What a Friend We Have in Jesus," we offer eternal thanks.For "All men are created equal," for "Tear down this wall," for "Ask not what your country can do for you," for "Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty," for "I swear to uphold the laws and Constitution of the United States of America, against all enemies foreign and domestic," we give thee praise.

For iron will, for steely resolve, for mettle tested and time-worn, for uncommon valor that never sleeps, for steady hands, sturdy legs, broad shoulders, and level heads, for stiff upper lips, for blood, sweat and tears, for conquering our fears, and for unbending courage in the face of the unknown, we give thee praise.

O Father, we come to thee on this national day to join with heart and voice all the people of our blessed land to honor and thank thee. We ask you, Lord, as our forefathers did in times of strife, "to inspire our commanders both by land and sea, and all under them, with that wisdom and fortitude which may render them fit instruments, under the providence of Almighty God, to secure for these United States the greatest of all blessings: independence and peace."

For precious life itself in this great nation—under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all—we thank thee, O Father. Amen.

Michelle Malkin is author of Invasion: How America Still Welcomes Terrorists, Criminals, and Other Foreign Menaces to Our Shores. Click here for Michelle Malkin's website.

Copyright 2002 Creators Syndicate, INC.

This holiday thread will run through Sunday, November 30th.
Please drop by when time permits and share a cup of fellowship
with us. New FRiends and old FRiends are always welcome at
our cyber table. So, pull up a chair ~ we are glad you are here.

We now return to our regularly scheduled program...

To you and your family,
from the "Finest" hostesses ~
Billie, Mama_Bear, Dansangel, Dutchess, Aquamarine

THIS WEEK'S THREADS 11-24-03...Military Monday 11-25-03...Countdown To The Holidays 11-26-03...Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse

Opinions by our own 'King of Ping' The guy's good, folks!

Thanks, Mixer!

1) Click on the graphic to open the Calendar.
2) Once there you can click on any month and even click to the right to go into next year. Once you are in the month that you joined FR you will need to click on the number in the calendar and then an add item screen will come up.
3) In the next box enter your name in the "Calendar Text" field and then click on submit.
4) If any of the screens fail to load simply click on refresh in your browser and that will usually fix it.
5) If all else fails or simply if you want me to do this for you send me a FReepmail and I will gladly do it for you. ~Mixer

Click on the photo to view the album. To
submit your photo, please contact danangel or .45man at danbh59@yahoo.com
and include Freeper Photo Album in subject line.

[dansangel]

((((((Rus))))))) and ((((((Jul)))))))

May many blessings continue to be conferred upon you both.

[dansangel]

Thank you for your prayers (((((((LadyX))))))))

May our Father grant healing and strength to you and may your family continue to receive His great blessings.

[dansangel]

((((((Libertina)))))))

Thank you for the beautiful autumn-colored greetings.
May you and your loved ones have a blessed and Happy Thanksgiving.

[LadyX]

Believe me, Meggie, in that very tiny galley afterthought of a kitchen there was not room for another body,,:(

I had The Man ride herd on the boys, 9 and 10 (but well-behaved, and they set the table) and our daughter, then just 3 - and the dog, in and out.
As the fellows arrived early, from 11 on, he entertained them so I was free to shift into high gear.
With the temperature around 20 below zero, they could not go outdoors to toss a football, etc.
A bedroom closet was 'HUGH,' compared with that teensy kitchen!
Besides, I cannot function in a crunch like that one with distractions...

[MEG33]

I am one who needs my kitchen to myself but have learned the benefits of helpers!The President has just left Iraq.The press kept the secret!

[TexasCowboy]

HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO ALL!

I wish for you moist turkey, lumpless giblet gravy and dressing with just the right amount of sage.

May the Good Lord shower you with the blessings of family love, and may the shining eyes of the little ones lift your spirits to new heights.

May God bless our troops eating whatever Thanksgiving dinner they can have at whereever they can have it, and God bless our President who had the love for them to go in harm's way to be with them.

May our hearts be filled with thankfulness for His many blessings.

God bless you all!

[dutchess]

Hi lovely sistahs and finest friends...just another day in paradise.....

Lori...beautiful presentation today...hope your enjoying your visit with the family....

dansy...thanks for posting this...

Parasailing today was AWESOME! What a way to start the day.... "50 something" is good!

Have a blessed holiday everyone...

[Aquamarine]

Thank you Dansangel for posting this beautiful Thanksgiving thread that Mama Bear made for us today.

I'm so sorry that I missed participating in your Lighthouse thread yesterday. I was busy with preparing our Thanksgiving meal, which turned out well but was so much work! Did take a peak at the thread and you did a magnificent job on it. Did you make that lighthouse background yourself?

[LadyX]

It would be my guess you are not sitting in a formal dining room for your Thanksgiving Dinner, and are indeed host to a crew of workers.

Whatever the setting - whatever the meal, however, this is a day, as you have eloquently said, to pause to thank our God Almighty for all the things He makes possible for us - His Love endureth forever!!

Glad you joined us, TC...and we of course continue to lift up your daughter, Faith, in her battle with MS...

[Libertina]

Happy Thanksgiving to my favorite cowboy FReeper! God Bless you and yours, Cob1! :)

[Aquamarine]

Happy Thanksgiving Day to All!

Psa 92:1 A Psalm or Song for the sabbath day. It is a good thing to give thanks unto the LORD, and to sing praises unto thy name, O most High:
Psa 92:2 To shew forth thy loving kindness in the morning, and thy faithfulness every night.

[Aquamarine]

Hi Libertina! Meant to ping you to the post above.

[TexasCowboy]

I swapped my fried turkey to the hands for their hot tamales!
I'm in the land of good hot tamales!
Everybody's momma makes the best hot tamales in the world!
LOL!

This is a wonderful day to give thanks, but I don't think it's long enough to count my blessings one by one.

[dansangel]

Thanks to you three for your beautiful posts. May God continue to shower abundant Blessings on you.

(((((Cobbie))))))) - been missing you, pardner.

((((Aqua))))) - thank you for the kind words about yesterday's thread. Yes, I did make the background. I've been making them for a while, yet. Now, all I have to do is figure out background-less vignettes. I can do the vignettes, but the program mounts them on a white background - Arrrrgggh.

(((((dutchess)))))) - so jealous that you're down the Keys, but so glad you are enjoying. Happy Thanksgiving and God's Blessings to you and Mr. D.

To all of you - wasn't our president just so awesome to take time out to be with our troops? I am just so *shocked* still. President Bush ***ROCKS***

[Libertina]

Thanks Aquamarine ;) Have a joyous feast today! Isn't our President wonderful? And our God AWESOME! :)

[Aquamarine]

Now, all I have to do is figure out background-less vignettes. I can do the vignettes, but the program mounts them on a white background - Arrrrgggh.

In Photo Deluxe you just open a new file with the color background you want or make the background with the pattern you're using, and drag your picture onto it. Then do a vingette that would blend into your tabled bg. Billie could explain this better though.

Meant to mention that the pilgrim hostess graphic was adorable today. Very nice work Lori! :)

[dansangel]

From: Bush Makes Secret Thanksgiving Visit to Iraq

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President Bush did the best thing he could ever do for our troops. Please continue to pray for him and Mrs. Bush - for their safety and guidance. For protection against the attacks from the left that you *know* are coming as soon as the shock wears off.

[Aquamarine]

I'm in agreement with you and Dansy that our President is wonderful, he makes me proud. :)

And yes, our God is AWESOME!

Hope you have a lovely Thanksgiving Day!

[dansangel]

I think there is a way to do that (drag the vignette onto a different background). I watched .45MAN do something similar. Maybe I'll take advantage of having a few days off to play around with it. Usually, when I get home from work, I am too wiped out and have *no* patience! Weekends fly by.

Thank you for the suggestion! :-)

[jwfiv]

My hero!

Ain't he wonderful?

Thanks for the pics, Dansy Girl... )