Celebrating Thanksgiving had a different feel in the rural churches I served. From spring planting, through harvest, our farm families were at the whims of the weather . . . Praying for adequate sun and rain at appropriate times. A late spring freeze, hail storm or early frost could raise havoc with crops. By the time Thanksgiving arrived, harvest was complete and there was a sense of deep gratitude for another year, witnessing the providence of God.

The psalmist says of God, “You crown the year with your bounty, and your carts overflow with abundance. The grasslands of the desert overflow; the hills are clothed with gladness. The meadows are covered with flocks and the valleys are mantled with grain; they shout for joy and sing.” Psalm 65:11-13 NIV

There is much to be grateful in our world. Cortlandt W. Sayre’s poem, “Bankrupt” captures priceless gifts God blesses us with, when we open our eyes to see them.   I have no idea what was happening in his life the day he penned this poem.  It dazzles with the ordinary, wrapped in gratitude.

Bankrupt

One midnight, deep in starlight still,
I dreamed that I received this bill:
(- – – – IN ACCOUNT WITH LIFE – – – -):
Five thousand breathless dawns all new;
Five thousand flowers fresh in dew;
Five thousand sunsets wrapped in gold;
One-million snow-flakes served ice-cold;
Five quiet friends; one baby’s love;
One white-mad sea with clouds above;
One hundred music-haunted dreams
Of moon-drenched roads and hurrying streams;
Of prophesying winds, and trees;
Of silent stars and browsing bees;
One June night in a fragrant wood;
One heart that loved and understood.
I wondered when I waked at day,
How—how in God’s name—I could pay!”
Cortlandt W. Sayres

We can never pay back the gifts God graces us with. But, we can remember and give thanks. We can express our gratitude for the beauty in our world. We can thank God for the people in our lives who have touched us with God’s love.

No, we cannot pay God back, but we can both celebrate and pass on the gifts of love God has blessed us with.