A roaring fire in a cast-iron wood-burning stove! A turkey baked golden-brown in the oven with stuffing and placed on the table with all the trimmings! We were all so young then, Daddy (44), Mama (40), Jesse, Jr. (21), Helena (19), Louetta (17), Gwen (16), Griffin (13), Alton (10), Venise (3), and Denise (3). As my family gathered around the table to give thanks before feasting, we had no idea that a huge metaphoric storm was approaching just beyond the horizon. It would hit our family hard the very next year. But, in that joy-filled moment, it did not matter. It was Thanksgiving Day 1964!
“Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good” (Psalm 136:1a).
Hallel!
In 1965, Daddy would have to be hospitalized with a severe spinal condition for seven long, stressful months. Jesse Jr. would be drafted into the U. S. Army, and Griffin would suffer a compound double fracture in one of his legs. With Helena and Louetta away in college, all the responsibilities of the farm would fall heavily on Mama. Griffin was in the hospital and unable to do anything for quite some time, and the twins, Denise and Venise, were too young for farm work. Despite the dire circumstances and the heavy demands of the large multi-crop farm, Mama knew certain things had to be maintained. Helena and Louetta had to stay in college and Gwen and Alton could not miss too many days from school.
But before the storm hit in 1965, we were all together around the table for Thanksgiving in 1964 as Daddy led us in a powerful prayer of giving thanks and Hallel (praise) to God for who He is, what He had already done for us, and what He would do in the future. As I reflect on that festive day filled with joy, love, laughter, and feasting, now with the added knowledge of what the next year would bring, I am more convinced than ever of the power of Hallel. Hallel means “praise.” It is the prefix to Hallelujah, “Praise the Lord.” Psalm 136, in fact, is known as the great Hallel.
I believe it was Daddy’s prayer and emphasis on our giving of genuine thanks and Hallel to the God of gods, the Lord of lords, the One “who alone does great wonders,” (Ps. 136:4a) that prepared us to endure the storm that was about to hit our family. And he had not just done that on Thanksgiving Day, but every day. Mama prayed without ceasing and praised God through the entire ordeal! And God brought us through triumphantly! Hallelujah!
Focus Quote: “Oh, give thanks to the God of gods! …Who remembered us in our lowly state…and rescued us from our enemies, for His mercy endures forever.”
–Psalm 136: 2a, 23a, 24, (NKJV)
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