More Stories from the Heartland

The Cathedral in the Cornfield. Surrounded by some of the most fertile soils on Earth, cherished friends of ours worship here in Champaign County, Illinois.

And now this...

I have often referred to Stories From The Heartland as my book of thanksgiving. I hope that came across in many of these accounts I have shared because, my goodness, no one has more reason to be thankful than I do.

Each autumn, even before the last Halloween treats are passed out, I race headlong into my Thanksgiving season. I am sure that those around me see a little spring in my step and hear the excitement in my voice. I often call it my “Season of Thanksgiving, because one day just isn’t really enough.” That’s not a throw-away phrase. I really mean that. Some may think that I am not abundantly grateful because I simply do not pray well, or at least not out loud in public. When the prayer needs to be delivered vocally, thanking Our Almighty God for the endless blessings He has bestowed upon us, I am fearful that someone will think I am pompous or pretentious while pretending to be pious. I often stammer or stutter in my oral prayer, seemingly apologetic. I am far more efficient in my private moments of prayer, and those always start with my listing of things for which I am most thankful. But whether in public or private, that must always be a greatly abbreviated list, because I have, in fact, so many things for which to give thanks.