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10 Minutes Peace
by Susan McGrath
The cornucopia was a popular symbol of the Thanksgiving holidays when I was a child. I remember coloring them in school, with fruits and vegetables spilling out - they were pictures that covered the entire palette of crayons. Today that symbolism seems to have waned a bit, replaced by turkeys in ever pose and wearing any expression you can think of from humor to shock.
But the "horn of plenty", as the cornucopia is known, dates back much further than the first Thanksgiving and has its roots in fantasy rather than actual blessings. In ancient Greece, the god Zeus was raised by a nurse on goat's milk, so the legend goes. He later gave her that horn and it would be filled with anything wished for by the person holding it. A nice fairy tale, but how did we come to associate it with a somber American holiday? That connection seems to be tenuous, but for some reason it became linked to a good harvest and we carried on from there.
Now that the stress of the turkey dinner has passed, the relatives have, for the most part, returned home, the leftovers have been shelved and the Christmas shopping has begun - how do we reflect on our "season of thanks"? Did we see our horn of plenty as having plenty? I'm not talking about whether we had enough food for the feast or whether everyone who visited had a real bed to sleep in or even whether everyone got along for the long weekend.
How did we reflect on our blessings from God? Did we even pause to think about how He has blessed us, other than an extended prayer before the big meal? Did we really think about all He has given us aside from food and shelter and a caring family?
I know, for me, this time of year gets very hectic and I begin to stress about holiday preparations and getting my house cleaned up enough to decorate and goals I wanted to accomplish before the end of the year and haven't. It seems I should be spending more time with God, but that is rarely the case.
As I put away the pumpkins and unpack the garland and nativity sets I hope I can reflect on how much my horn and my cup are running over with blessings. I want to remember how God has blessed me in every season of the year and every spiritual season of my life. I will thank God that I don't have to wish on some mythological horn, but that my needs and many of my desires, are met by the Creator of the universe who knows my name and loved me enough to die for me.
Not only does my cup runneth over, He has given me more than 12 place settings of great-grandmother's china can contain.
In Ezekiel 34:26-27 the Lord assures us, "I will bless them and the places surrounding my hill. I will send down showers in season; there will be showers of blessing. The trees of the field will yield their fruit and the ground will yield its crops; the people will be secure in their land. They will know that I am the Lord, when I break the bars of their yoke; and rescue them from the hands of those who enslaved them."
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a recovering journalist trying to encourage others and glorify God through writing;
living the small-town life with husband Tim and sons Lincoln, 12, and Sawyer, 6;
completing a few put-off writing projects while using chocolate for therapy.
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