Marcus Redding's Thanksgiving

The sun was just coming up when Marcus pulled his truck into his dad’s driveway. This would be the only stop he would make this Thanksgiving morning. In past years he would stop at Grandpa Sam’s and pick him up too. But not this year. Deep sigh.

His dad jumped in the pickup and they drove to Mrs. Hampel’s place out in Mixon just off FM 177. They did something like this every year. It was Grandpa Sam’s idea. The men of the church would find someone who needed work done around their place and make that their Thanksgiving Day service project. Mrs. Hampel’s old house needed painting and she had an barn that was in bad shape. The guys had spent a few Saturdays getting all the materials together. Now they drove out to Mixon and met six other guys from the church. All the ladders and cans of paint and brushes and lumber and nail guns were ready. They worked six straight hours and got the place fixed up the best they could. Mrs. Hampel thanked them profusely. They reminded her of Acts 2:44. They were just taking care of a sister who had a need. That’s what Christians do.

They got home a little after 12:30 and got cleaned up. Lauren and her mom and Marcus’s mom had spent all morning getting Thanksgiving dinner ready and visiting in the kitchen. The smell of turkey and pumpkin pie and dressing greeted the rest of the aunts and uncles and cousins as they came in around 1:00.

Most of them were Christians and so “they received their food with glad and generous hearts.” They watched the first half of the football game after dinner. At halftime they got out Monopoly. Four sets of Monopoly. They had four games going at the same time. Card tables full of Boardwalk and Community Chest and Get Out of Jail Free Cards and plastic green houses and tiny silver thimbles. A Redding Thanksgiving tradition. Just fun. When the third quarter started, they postponed their Monopoly games and everyone had dessert. Then the guys watched the rest of the game and the ladies cleaned up.

When the football game was over they finished Monopoly. The winner of each game got a prize: the privilege of being the first to give thanks. Since there was one winner from each of the monopoly games, the four winners took turns in order of their age—the oldest first on down to the youngest—then the rest took turns, all of them saying what they were thankful for. Here is what some of them had to say…

Lauren’s brother, Eddie…“I thank God that I still have a job.”

Marcus’s mom, Abigail…“I thank God for Ruth and Lauren. They have been a great blessing to our family.”

Marcus’s dad, David…“I thank God for the years we had with Sam. We miss him. But I know we’ll be with him again soon.”

Lauren’s mom, Ruth…“I thank God for blessing my daughter with a godly husband. I love you, Marcus.”

Lauren…“I thank God for David and Marcus. They love Abigail and me like Christ loved the church.”

Marcus…“I thank God for loving me and saving me through his son Jesus Christ.”

Hugs all around.

More about Marcus Redding’s journey of faith next week.