Trunks, Treats and Thank Yous!

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.

As you can tell from the photo above, our oldest granddaughter, Virginia Rose, is all set for the Trunk or Treat held this past Sunday at our church.  She has worn her kitty cat mask off and on all weekend that she has spent with us, but now, with her costume donned, replete with tail, she is raring to go.  We are looking forward to meeting up with her little sisters, Savannah Jane and Alexandra Nancy, and her mom and dad at the event.

We are blessed with a bright, sunny, balmy October afternoon.  The Trunk or Treat is not just about getting candy, but also participating in lots of games and activities.  Alexandra falls in love with the inflated slide.  After Virginia helps her climb to the top several times,

she has it down pat.  Can you glimpse her at the top of this photo?

Here is the happy firefighter at the bottom!

Yes, both Savannah and Alexandra wanted identical costumes for Halloween.  Fireman Savannah and her daddy show off the book she wins in a Book Walk (think cake walk).

Here is Alexandra hoping to win a book for herself, but it was not to be.  Doesn't dampen her spirits, though!

Now it's time to visit the smartly decorated car trunks for more fun games and, of course, the ultimate prize:  candy!

Bean bag toss with the one and only Spiderman!

As the girls make their rounds, and fill their trick-or-treat bags with coveted sweets, my daughter, Sarah, and I repeatedly voice identical admonitions when each little hand grabs a goody:  "What do you say?"

"Thank you," the girls say politely.

And I recall, as though it were yesterday, the countless times I had to remind Sarah, and her brother, Daniel, to say thank you when offered any gift, no matter how small or insignificant.  I have to admit, I always wondered when an automatic show of gratitude would permanently kick in.

But in observing Sarah with her girls, she clearly values that lesson learned long ago, and is committed to instilling the same gratitude attitude in her children.

And this begs the question:  How many times a day do we say, "Thank you" to God, for all His continual blessings in the past, and in the here and now?  Even in the lowest of circumstances, can we still utter those two simple words of gratitude, knowing that our Lord has everything in His loving hands?  I'm not saying this is easy, but it's necessary.  Choosing to be thankful, even in the tough moments, can work to amazingly restore our hope, our faith and our trust in the One who deserves all our thanks and praise, all the time.

I don't know if you, who are reading this post right now, have children or grandchildren who are still learning this lesson, but when my kids were young, I made up this jingle to the tune, "Love and Marriage."

Please and thank you

Please and thank you

Three little magic words are

Please and thank you

Any time or weather

Please and thank you go together

"Please"when we are praying to God.  "Thank you" because we know He hears our prayers.

Three magic words can, and do, work wonders!

Amen!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!