Happy Thanksgiving!

Hello Pen Women!

I am posting today two poems as a Thanksgiving Celebration. Both were submitted by Muncie Member, Ella Reff. The first one is an original, and the second one is written by Scott Weseman.

Thank you, Ella, for your contributions!

I hope all Pen Women will have a joyous and blessed Thanksgiving Holiday!

A Thanksgiving Surprise 
 
I'm up so bright and early;
The turkey's in the sink;
But now my biggest worry:
The TV's on the blink!
 
No football for my uncle--
Whatever shall he do?
He could come to the kitchen
And help to stir the roux.
 
Yesterday I put the pie in
An oven at 400 degrees
So today I can bake the turkey
And fix the cranberries.
 
A sweet potato casserole
Must be upon my table,
And I will fix a salad
If time does me enable.
 
The turkey's waiting to be carved
Oh look! Here come the guests!
I'd better hurry up,
Get dressed to look my best.
 
My grandson barges in the door
And says, "Let's watch TV!"
I say we can't do that right now,
But he says "Look, Granny!"
 
The last time I was here with you
The TV I unplugged;
So let me take care of that
And things will be debugged!"
 
I forgave the little cuss
And smiled at Uncle too,
So thankful now that things were good
With not much more to do.
 
We all held hands and bowed our heads
And thanked the Lord above
For all good things that come our way
And for a family to love.
 
And here's the icing on the cake,
A day to finally see:
My uncle stood beside the sink
And washed the pans for me!
   
                   ---Ella Reff (2012) 

A Thanksgiving Day Prayer

Lord, so often times, as any other day
When we sit down to our meal and pray

We hurry along and make fast the blessing
Thanks, amen. Now please pass the dressing

We're slaves to the olfactory overload
We must rush our prayer before the food gets cold

But Lord, I'd like to take a few minutes more
To really give thanks as to what I'm thankful for

For my family, my health, a nice soft bed
My friends, my freedom, a roof over my head

I'm thankful right now to be surrounded by those
Whose lives touch me more than they'll ever possibly know

Thankful Lord, that You've blessed me beyond measure
Thankful that in my heart lives life's greatest treasure

That You, dear Jesus, reside in that place
And I'm ever so grateful for Your unending grace

So please, heavenly Father, bless this food You've provided
And bless each and every person invited

Amen!
--Scott Weseman  

Patriotic Poem - Ella Reff's Mother

Muncie Branch member Ella Reff shared a poem written by her mother. Born in 1925,  in southern Indiana, this poem was written when she was about 17 or 18 years old . Her mother's two brothers and husband were all in the military of WWII. Ella said the following poem was published in the local newspaper.

The original hand-written poem, now displayed in North Canton, Ohio

Because today is election day, I thought this would be the perfect time to share Ella's mother's patriotic poem. Note that the poem is now displayed at a restaurant in North Canton, Ohio, The 356th Fighter Group, in their special case with their "book of honor". We are proud to have this legacy as a part of our group.

 

 

            "Three Cheers For 'Em"

 

Three cheers for the men in the service

So loyal, brave and true,

Fighting for their liberty,

And the red, white, and blue.

They're giving up everything,

To fight for Uncle Sam,

To drive out the bitter hatred

In the heart of the other land.

Old Glory is behind them,

Whipping her colors in the breeze,

Fighting all the Axis powers,

Above all, German and Japanese.

A stamp buys the bullet,

A bond buys the gun,

With them both working together,

We'll keep them on the run.

So invest your money now,

Buy bonds and stamps today,

With men, guns, and bullets,

We'll keep the Axis away.

The Army, Navy, Coast Guard, and Marines

Are doing their duty each day,

So let's chip in and help them,

And keep free, our good old U.S A.

       

                        Margaret Peavler