The Pilgrims Prayer (Another Speech Another …)

Welp, it’s another year therefore another speech and another prayer.

Actually, the only thing new is the year and boy did that one fly by.

I’ve been sharing variations of the Pilgrim’sPrayer and a similar speech since … I reckon since the pilgrims sat down with the Indians… or last year.

Ha! I crack me up.

Anywho I’m sure it’s been a couple of decades, maybe more.

So today while my herbs and chicken are boiling, the cornbread is in the oven and I’m resting from all of the chopping and prepping I anticipation of tomorrow’s dinner I thought I would share with you, family and friends, my ponderings and hopes for all of us one more time.

[drumroll]

A Pilgrim’s Prayer

I didn’t really know any of the original Pilgrims but I did see a few John Wayne movies. John knew a pilgrim when he saw one; he seemed to know a lot of pilgrims.

I never actually knew a pilgrim in the sense of an early settler but I suppose that we are all pilgrims. Not a lot of us sailed across the ocean in a ship to arrive here at this moment in time yet, each one of us on a journey of sorts. We are all looking for something. Be it a quest for affirmation or confirmation, for a certain truth, enrichment or a cure; we are all seeking a measure of comfort, or a friend, a lover, a job, a meal or simply a place to lay our weary head at the end of another day.

Life is a journey, a pilgrimage if you will, for each and every one of us, or at least it should be.

I’d hate to think any we are just flailing through this experience killing time on this giant floating gum ball or this massive flat plane, which ever explanation of earth satisfies your mind.

Whatever your preference is we all have one destination, true we may travel many different roads in getting there. 

Hopefully we will choose our roads well.

When we do take a wrong turn [and we will from time to time] I pray that we have enough sense and humility to stop and ask for directions; the sense to know good from evil direction and what directors to trust.

When that room turned presents itself well after the fact, I pray we have the courage to admit we took a wrong turn and learn from it. That may be the best that any person can hope for.

To learn from our mistakes.

So here’s wishing all of you pilgrims a Happy Thanksgiving and may we all, whatever road we’re on, take the time to look ahead, pause and bow our head in thanks.

My personal prayer:
Thank you Father, The Creator of all things, for this day and all it holds. Thank you for the days past and Father forgive me for my wrong turns. Thank you for the day to come and guide me to make better choices. Thank you for all the persons in my life and the ones who read this prayer. And Thank You Father for the beacon that lights my way.
In Jesus name. Amen.

Winter Solstice (The Long Long Night)

Here in the northern hemisphere today is the winter solstice, the first day of winter, aka midwinter. It is reportedly the shortest day of the year hence the longest night.

It is also that time of year I routinely share this bit of poetry with you all.

Torn from the pages of Getting Me Back ( The Voices Within)

Keep your hearts warm my friends. Brighter days await.

Autumn Equinox 2024

Summer Adieu

It’s out of the flip-flops, and back in the Reeboks and long pants dug out of the dust

So long to the tank tops, bikinis and cut offs and lawn chairs left lying to rust

Adieu to the sand dune, the pelican and plain loon

My loves, we’ll see you `fore long

Leaves drop as trees swoon, long past the crop moon

With the scent of a sweet autumn song

Let’s all take a big swill to ward off the night chill

Winter’s a season away

Crank up the camp fire; avoid the ole quagmire

With children perched high on the hay.

Poem from Getting Me Back

More about the Autumn Equinox at Farmers Almanac 

Adieu Summer – Hello Autumn

You can’t tell it by the temps here in Texas but… It’s fall y’all. Here’s wishing you all a wonderful season and a plentiful harvest.

Poem from Getting Me Back (The Voices Within)

Happy Valentine’s Day

Ain’t Love Grand

Ain’t love grand?

Sure it is… but sometimes it’s not.

Sometimes it is tattered and torn and embittered…

Sometimes it’s so snarled and twisted it leaves nothing but ashes in its wake. Take it from Ishmael.

HaPpY ValenTines DaY

ROSES FROM ISHMAEL (263x400)

Love IS grand – until it ain’t. If you have a real love and a healthy relationship you should celebrate that every day. Don’t be the characters I write.

Roses From Ishmael was originally published as a single& then in Once Upon a Dead Gull and Short Stories & Such.

This short is available Wherever books are sold. Including Barnes & Noble & Google Books/ Play

A Pilgrim’s Prayer

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving. 

Another Thursday, another November and another Thanksgiving holiday in the USA. Which means the earth has not quite spun off her axis; some of her inhabitants may have but we are here today so let’s make the most of it. 

I have shared the following bit of prose in one form or another for … I don’t know… decades maybe?

Occasionally I vary the wording but the sentiment is always the same, so without further ado, here we go… 

A Pilgrim’s Prayer

Once upon a time – a long, long time ago (before Black Friday) Thanksgiving was a celebration of harvest and a time to give thanks. Hence the name thanksgiving.

I don’t think the early pilgrims had a Super Walmart, a Sears or a Best Buy. They had never heard of an indie distributor called Smashwords(yikes, imagine how scary that might have sounded)

I’m sure they didn’t have the www to answer all of you questions or a beastly giant named Amazon— yet somehow they managed. 

Can you imagine having to grow your own food and prepare it without the help of of a search engine like google

When did they have time? Where did they get their Stove Top stuffing and who canned the yams and plucked the turkeys? How did those crazy pilgrims do it?

John Wayne

I didn’t really know any of those pilgrims but I did see a John Wayne movie once. John knew a pilgrim when he saw one. He seemed to know a lot of pilgrims but that was a long time ago too.

I propose we are all pilgrims, each one of us on a journey of sorts. Our own personal pilgrimage…

Aren’t we are all looking for something? Be it a quest for self-confirmation, truth, a cure, enrichment, comfort, a friend, a lover, a job, a meal or a place to lay our weary head at the end of another day.

I believe life is a journey, or at least it should be. It would be terrible to think we were just flailing through this experience; killing time on this giant floating gumball while waiting for the next Black Friday specials.

I believe we all have one destination though we travel different roads and I trust that we have choices.

Pilgrims (2)

Hopefully we will choose well. On the occasion we do take a wrong turn [and we will from time to time] I pray we have enough sense and humility to stop and seek direction… to reassess our route and to be considerate in our voyage.

So here’s wishing all of you pilgrims a Happy, Happy Thanksgiving from the Hill house and may we all, whatever road we’re on, take time to look ahead, pause and bow our head in thanks.

My personal prayer:

I pray our good seeds of hope, humility, toil and courage produce abundantly; that love and kindness grow wild like the weeds of early spring – fruitful and undeterred.  And may our harvest be rich with wisdom and discernment.

Thank you Father, The Creator of all things, for this day and all it holds. Thank you for the days past, and Father forgive me for my wrong turns. Thank you for the day to come and guide me to make better choices. Thank you for all the pilgrims in my life – for those who’ve gone ahead and the ones that come behind and for those who read this prayer. And Thank You Father for the beacon that lights my way.

In Jesus name, Amen.

BTW Thanksgiving & John Wayne (A Pilgrim’s Prayer) is also in Getting Me Back (The Voices Within)