Had a great Thanksgiving. It’s the eleventh Thanksgiving since the diagnosis of two cancers. That is something to be thankful for. With the extent of the cancer, the eleven Thanksgivings, is almost a miracle. Saw two movies this weekend that were a reminder of the reason for the miracle. One was Amazing Grace, the story of William Wilberforce and the abolition of slavery in the British Empire. He was greatly influenced by John Newton, the fellow who wrote the song Amazing Graze. The other movie was The Last Sin Eater. This one was a little weird but had a strong message.
Faith has been the secret to my miracle of survival. There have been many deterrents to that faith along the way including bad preachers and the church itself. One close college friend became a minister, then abandoned the faith. Another schoolmate wrote a book on becoming an atheist and is now a leader in an atheist movement. I have had people of a different Christian denomination tell me I am going to hell because I didn’t go to their church. Of course, to the Muslims I am an infidel. I am impressed that they have the gift of judgment but yet posses no brain. With all this I have remained steadfast. Long ago, before I heard about the intellectual voices of the Christian faith, such as Soren Kierkegaard and C.S. Lewis, I took the leap of faith Kierkegard talks about in his philosophy. Fortunately my leap landed on solid ground even though it has been subjected to many earthquakes induced by Christians themselves. The faith has sustained me and for that, along with my family, I am most thankful this Thanksgiving.
I did venture off the porch this weekend to eat a Thanksgiving meal and also to attend a memorial service to celebrate the life of a remarkable man. I am thankful I knew that gentleman.
So, there was a lot to be thankful for this holiday, but I’m most thankful to be back safely on the porch.