on being thankful for what came to pass

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The second greatest benefit of blogging is that if you keep at it long enough, one day you will realize that you've inadvertently given yourself an unexpected blessing: archives.

We didn't even consider this lovely side benefit of blogging back when we decided to start The Beehive. But I have to say that those archives tucked away over there on your left are absolutely priceless to me now. As I thumb through the 625 missives we've pecked out over the past four years, I realize that all our fiddling and piddling here have somehow created an accidental journal of a golden time.

When I realized what a treasure our archives had become to me, I renamed them "What Came To Pass." There's a little story behind that -- a true story. My father once told me about a small-town ministers' breakfast where all the preachers were asked to share a verse in the Bible that they were particularly fond of and tell why. As they went around the room, one preacher after another cited some well-known verse, the type of verse you would expect to hear at such a time, if you know what I mean. But then they got to an elderly and much-beloved black preacher. He said, "Here's the Bible phrase I lean on every day, my friends: "And it came to pass..." Because everything that comes upon us on this hard old earth, no matter how bad it may be, it doesn't come to stay. Eternity with Jesus Christ is the only thing that will ever come to stay! All the rest just comes to pass."

Isn't that wonderful?

So it was that tonight after supper, I spent a happy half-hour fossicking about in the Beehive archives for posts from Thanksgivings that came to pass. As long as I have them gathered in hand, I figure I might as well pass them by you all again. So here are a few that our readers particularly enjoyed.


Beatrice's Feast (2007)
Might ought to fetch a hanky first. More than a few Beehive readers have told me this one made them cry. Beatrice felt so blessed by preparing this feast that she's doing it again this year. We love our Beatrice!

Thanksgiving Poems, Prayers & Psalms (2006)
The lovely words we take turns reading aloud during our Thanksgiving feasts -- one of our favorite family traditions.

Providing and Preventing (2006)
On being thankful for invisible blessings

Random Thoughts of Gratitude (2006)
What I remember about writing this post is how it buoyed my soul into a state of joy that lingered for days. I should write posts like this more often. Maybe I will resolve to do that in the coming months. Maybe you would do it with me? I like being in a state of joy, don't you?

Thanksgiving Books for Families (2006)
And I should post this one earlier next year!

And one more... head over to my cooking blog for my grandmother's legendary and much-requested recipe for Cornbread Dressing. You know you want it.

Say what? Oh, you're still wondering what the firstest greatest benefit of blogging is? I'll give you three guesses one guess.