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I wrote a blog two years ago about the two new additions to my family, TWINS GIRLS: Leah and Lily Murphy. Well, here’s my small update of how everything is going for these two wonderful little human beings. Check out the photo below which was taken on Dec. 7 at Fusion where we were celebrating their daddy’s birthday.  They were a little scared of the chef at the hibachi grill, but so was I at times.  That fire felt like it singed my eyebrows.  Leah turned her head and Lily held on to her mom’s arm very tightly and did not let go until some of the food was served.  Neither of them knew what to think, but they loved the food at Fusion. As you can see, from the above photos, they are growing up way too fast.  They understand and are completing sentences. Of course, most of the time only their mom and dad can decipher what they are saying.  The clearer words for both will come in due time.  With them both being so interactive, this Christmas is going to be so exciting for them and for all of the family, too. I so look forward to Christmas Eve to watch them do their thing.  It is so much fun having little ones around for Christmas. Don’t forget that Christmas is not all about giving and receiving gifts. It is our Lord and Savior’s “birth” day that we remember and celebrate.  GOD BLESS US ALL! I HOPE EVERYONE HAS A VERY, VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS AND AN EVEN HAPPIER & HEALTHIER NEW YEAR!

Our first child was born in 1990 and we bought one toy for under the tree (from Santa). It was a push truck that babies hold on to while tottering along. I believe I still have it somewhere in our basement. When your children are little babies, Christmas is so easy. But as they grow older things get trickier. Shopping is the easy part. Hiding the bags is okay—under my husband’s work bench in a separate room off the basement with other stuff piled on. Tom would take the presents to work to put together and do all the wrapping and then place them in boxes under the workbench to be covered again. So far, so good. But, through the years it was up to me to put the presents under the tree and this is when all the fun begins. Tom would be sleeping with sugarplums dancing in his head and I would be sneaking around our house in the early hours of Christmas morning. We have an older home with floors, steps and doors that creak and groan. So, I would pretend to go to bed with everyone else, but would stay awake waiting for the witching hour when I would try and move quietly around the house getting all ready for the excitement of the morning. The gifts were wrapped but I would have to go down the creaky stairs to the basement, uncover, open boxes and bring all the gifts up those creaky steps, across the foyer and into the living room over carpeted creaky floors to place the gifts under the tree. All the while tiptoeing and stopping every few steps to listen. I would step, creak, stop, listen, step again, creak, stop, listen and move ever so slowly over to the right, then over to the left, then a wider step to try and miss those creaky spots in the floor. This would take several trips as I could only carry so much up our very narrow basement stairwell. I broke a sweat more times than I can remember thinking I was hearing noises from the upstairs bedrooms, which would stop me in my tracks. I would then sneak up those stairs—creaking all the way—trying to stay on one side where it creaks less and then listen outside the closed bedroom doors. One time I do remember one of the boys waking up when I went into the bedroom and I think I said something like, I thought I heard bells, but go back to sleep because Santa will not come if anyone is awake. Yep, they believed anything told to them. And then I would continue my quiet shuffling around the house. When all presents were brought up from the basement and placed under the tree, another tradition that I had lots of fun with was creating a scene that Santa had indeed been there. I once bought a kit of reindeer footprints with corn and a torn piece of Santa’s red suit, and, if it snowed, there would be reindeer and Santa footprints in the snow; if no snow, then there would be corn left behind. I had bells that I would stand outside and jingle in hopes the kids would hear. Not sure they ever did even though my youngest admitted that he heard them. Every year, I wrote a note (from Santa) thanking us for the carrots for his reindeer and milk and cookies for him, that we had left out before we went to bed. I would drink the milk, eat a couple of the cookies (but leave some) and then there would be carrot pieces (as if the reindeer had munched too) for the kids to find in the morning.  As they got older, the boys became skeptical that the cookies were eaten by Santa and that the reindeer were munching carrots and they firmly believed that it was my handwriting on Santa’s letter of thanks and on all the gifts but I would just give them the look and say, “Okay, don’t believe….” This was my yearly tradition. One time I admit I fell asleep and didn’t wake up until six in the morning and went crazy trying to get all this done before anyone woke up. But I think I put a lot of pressure on myself all those years probably needlessly. Looking back, I don’t remember either of the boys waking up wanting to know why I was sneaking about the house. In fact, Tom and I would be up and waiting for our oldest to wake up, then in later years after our second son was born in 1996, we would be waiting for both boys to wake up. Sometimes it seemed that Tom and I were more excited about Christmas morning than the boys and we would go upstairs and wake ‘em up. They were excited once they were ripping open their gifts as are all kids—the clothes would be thrown over the shoulder and the requested toys hugged tight. The boys are now young men and gifts are not opened until much later on Christmas morning, as we have brunch and mimosas, and then our gifts. They pretty much know what Santa is bringing, but something they do not know is that I have all their letters to Santa saved for them. I think it would be lots of fun to open and read those letters. That just may be something we do this Christmas because we will begin a new tradition as the boys’ Grandma Jean (who came to our house every Christmas morning to open gifts and have breakfast) passed away earlier this year. So it will be a quiet Christmas for us, but Tom and I are both looking forward to our sons beginning their own Christmas traditions where we can sit back and watch all the excitement. I can imagine them trying to explain why Santa and JCPenney has the same wrapping paper (as pointed out by Ryan) or why the nibbled-on-carrots were inside, not outside (as noticed by Casey). But most of all I imagine them trying to be as quiet as a mouse while enjoying Santa’s cookies and milk in the very early hours of Christmas morning. Merry Christmas from the Wilsons!

I’ve decided that during the course of the 2016-2017 OVAC basketball season, I’m going to try and write an article each week dealing with a particular rule of the game. I’ll give some examples, and maybe even some links to videos, so that the readers can become more familiar with the rules as they are actually written and applied.  For those who may wonder about my qualifications, I have been a basketball official since 1985.  I have worked both the WVSSAC high-school and NCAA Division II levels, and have been fortunate to be selected to work championship tournaments in both.  I am the current rules interpreter for the Ohio Valley Board of Approved Basketball Officials, a post I have held for a number of years.  And finally, for whatever reason, I just enjoy studying the rules. Today, I want to talk about the traveling rule.  Aside from perhaps the block/charge rule, traveling is probably the single most misunderstood rule in the game.  Fans believe that it’s traveling if a player takes more than one step without dribbling.  They believe a player who dives on a loose ball and slides across the floor has traveled.  And they believe a player who fumbles the ball while driving to the hoop has traveled.  Wrong, wrong and wrong again. Traveling is defined as “moving the pivot foot in excess of prescribed limits.”  Therefore, the first step in applying the rule involves properly identifying the pivot foot.  There are lots of different possibilities here, but I will try and simplify this step by telling you that once a player catches the ball and takes a step with one foot, the other foot is going to be the pivot foot  (There are multiple other scenarios for establishing a pivot, but I want to keep this as simple as possible).  Once the pivot foot is established, the only restriction is that the player cannot lift that foot and return it to the floor without releasing the ball on a shot or pass.  Note here that the player is NOT prohibited from lifting the pivot foot; he is only prohibited from putting it back down on the floor while still holding the ball. The rules also specifically deal with the situation where a player dives on the floor to secure a loose ball, and then slides across the floor for some distance.  That happened in a game I officiated last night, and of course the fans went nuts when I didn’t blow my whistle.  I didn’t blow it because it wasn’t traveling.  A player is permitted to secure a loose ball and then slide.  The only thing he is prohibited from doing is rolling over, sitting up or attempting to stand without first dribbling.  The rule-makers aren’t going to penalize a player for making a great hustle play. Finally, we come to the fumble.  A player cuts to the hoop, and as he attempts to gather the ball to go up for a layup, he loses the handle and bobbles the ball a bit while continuing to move to the hoop.  Again, the fans go nuts.  And again, there is no violation.  In order to have a pivot foot, a player must be HOLDING the basketball.  By definition, HOLDING the ball is different than FUMBLING the ball.  A player who is holding the ball can establish a pivot foot, and can therefore be guilty of traveling.  A player who is fumbling has no pivot foot, and therefore cannot travel.  And to answer the question of nearly every coach I have ever explained this to, yes, that means a player can fumble the ball from one end of the floor to the other without violating.  If you take anything at all from reading this article, I hope it is this:  IT IS IMPOSSIBLE FOR A PLAYER TO TRAVEL UNLESS HE IS HOLDING THE BASKETBALL. There is much more I could write about this rule, but that should be enough to keep your head spinning for awhile.  If you have specific questions, or if you would like me to write about a particular rule, feel free to comment.  Next week, I’ll deal with the block/charge rule.

‘Tis the season for Christmas movies, tree lighting ceremonies and live events! If you’re looking for a new holiday tradition, you should check out NBC’s live musicals! In 2013, the live musicals were brought back after 50 years. NBC’s first revived live musical was The Sound of Music Live! This musical was broadcast in December 2013 and featured country music star Carrie Underwood as Maria. Due to the wild success of the first live musical, a decision to broadcast another musical was made. In 2014, NBC took viewers to Neverland with Peter Pan Live! This show featured Allison Williams (ex-Nightly News anchor Brian Williams’ daughter) and Christopher Walken. It was truly magical. Though it was not as successful as the 2013 musical, it was still a hit. Last year, NBC took viewers back to Oz with The Wiz Live! This hit originally featured the iconic Michael Jackson. This time around, Queen Latifah and Mary J. Blige were responsible for leading this musical down the “yellow brick road” to success. With yet another year of great viewings, NBC is at it again for the 2016 holiday season. At 8 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 7, Hairspray Live! will air on NBC!  This year’s production features well-known stars like Jennifer Hudson, Derek Hough, Ariana Grande, Kristen Chenoweth, Rosie O’Donnell and more. The following is the description provided by NBC.com: “Based on the Tony Award-winning Broadway musical, "Hairspray Live!" takes place in 1962 Baltimore. Plump teenager Tracy Turnblad's dream is to dance on "The Corny Collins Show," a local TV program. When against all odds Tracy wins a role on the show, she becomes a celebrity overnight and meets a colorful array of characters, including the resident dreamboat, Link; the ambitious mean girl, Amber; an African American boy she meets in detention, Seaweed; and his mother, Motormouth Maybelle, the owner of a local record store. Tracy's mother is the indomitable Edna, and she eventually encourages Tracy on her campaign to integrate the all-white "Corny Collins Show” (“NBC: Hairspray Live!,” 2016). Hairspray Live! marks the fourth year of NBC’s live musicals. Make a new tradition for you and your family. Pop some popcorn and tune in. Fingers crossed for another successful show that keeps this fun, annual event coming back in 2017.

Over 53 years ago, the United States Supreme Court unanimously decided the landmark case of Gideon v. Wainwright.  In that case, the Court held that the right of an indigent defendant in a criminal trial to have the assistance of counsel is a fundamental right essential to a fair trial. Clarence Earl Gideon’s trial and conviction, which took place with Gideon representing himself and completely without the assistance of counsel, was found to be in violation of the 14th Amendment.  The Supreme Court ruled that the United States Constitution requires the states to provide defense attorneys to criminal defendants charged with serious offenses who cannot themselves afford lawyers.  In its opinion, the Supreme Court stated: Any person haled into court, who is too poor to hire a lawyer, cannot be assured a fair trial unless counsel is provided for him.  This seems to us to be an obvious truth. . . .  From the very beginning, our state and national constitutions and laws have laid great emphasis on procedural and substantive safeguards designed to assure fair trials before impartial tribunals in which every defendant stands equal before the law.  This noble ideal cannot be realized if the poor man charged with crime has to face his accusers without a lawyer to assist him. Gideon v. Wainwright, 372 U.S. 335, 344 (1967). The right to counsel does not apply in non-criminal cases (with the exception of one special class:  juveniles in civil commitment proceedings).  But the “obvious truth” articulated in Gideon, equating the fair administration of justice with the right to counsel, is yet to be realized in civil cases, even though fundamental human needs may be affected by such proceedings. Ten years ago, the American Bar Association adopted a resolution for “Civil Gideon” in instances where “basic human needs are at stake, such as those involving shelter, sustenance, safety, health or child custody, as determined by each jurisdiction.”  This resolution brought into focus the need for legal assistance in cases where an indigent person might lose his or her children, home, or healthcare, for example.  Our justice system is designed by lawyers for lawyers.  Imagine a hospital where if you are a poor patient, you are told to put in your own IV.  This is obviously outrageous, and so is the lack of legal representation for the poor when faced with the potential for loss of fundamental human needs.  The fair administration of justice when such fundamental rights are at stake requires the presence of counsel. Providing legal counsel as a matter of right and at public expense to low income persons in civil proceedings where basic human needs are at stake is entirely consistent with the reasoning of Gideon. A civil right to counsel is a fundamental right.  Indeed, providing counsel is the great equalizer.  True justice should not be about means.

The holidays are upon us, and while many folks are rushing around catching the sales for the hottest items of the year, many others are wondering if they will be able to make ends meet this month. With this in mind, if you are one of the more fortunate people who have some extra cash during the holidays, consider helping someone in need. After all, it is the season for giving, sharing, love and kindness.  Be generous to those who are struggling. Not everyone in need chooses those circumstances. Not everyone in need is asking for a handout.  Families are impacted by so many factors, whether it is a parent who has lost his or her job, a sick loved one or a family helping others in a rough spot and making sacrifices to do so. Whatever the series of events that landed people into rough circumstances, I don't think any would choose to just sit back and hope for a handout. Sometimes there’s the misconception that people who can’t afford to give this time of year don’t work, are lazy and entitled.  I strongly disagree and would not hesitate to voice my opinion loudly.  Yes, there are some, but on the flipside, just like with a group of wealthy folks, you may ask -- are they wealthy because they earned it?  Are they wealthy because it was handed to them?  Perhaps they may have participated in unethical acts to get to the top?  The list could go on. There is always more than one way to look at something.  Brush it all aside. This holiday season, I ask you to really look into the eyes of the needy, listen to the voice of despair and feel with the warmth of your heart. Please do what you can to help a family in need.  Let every family have a warm meal, a gift for their child or even help to pay utilities. Give them a job, give them something, anything, to bring them hope for a brighter future. Take that chance and be generous in the 2016 Holiday Season.

In my ongoing effort to keep local hoops fans informed and educated about the rules of the game of basketball, I thought it would be a good idea to give everyone some advance warning about recent changes in the rules that are going to result in more whistles this year, especially early in the season. Every year, the powers-that-be at the NFHS (National Federation of State High School Associations and yeah, I know, the acronym doesn’t fit) get together and decide whether new rules are needed to make the game better. At the same time, these folks take a look at how existing rules are being applied, and they issue “Points of Emphasis” for officials to consider.  These Points of Emphasis simply highlight areas where the rules makers think officials need to do a better job.  Most of the time, rules changes and the POEs have little obvious influence on how the games are called.  This year, however, will present a different situation. Last season, a new rule went into effect regarding defending a ballhandler.  Simply put, the rule identified four situations in which officials are instructed to call a foul on the defense:  1. When the defender places two hands on the ballhandler; 2. When the defender places an extended arm bar on the ballhandler; 3. When the defender places a single hand on the ballhandler and keeps it there; and 4. When the defender contacts the ballhandler more than once with the same or alternating hands.  So why, you may ask, is this new rule such a big deal?  The answer is that the rule eliminates the official’s judgment from the process.  In the past, officials were told to call fouls when, in the official’s judgment, a defender had done something to put the offense at a disadvantage.  Pretty much every foul amounted to a judgment call by the official.  Contact, even significant contact, could be ignored if, in the judgment of the official, there was no real advantage gained by the defense.  A good example would be someone like Steph Curry in the NBA trying to defend Shaquille O’Neal in the post.  Curry could lean, push, shove, and do everything but hang on Shaq, and the big man would still be able to easily get to the hoop and dunk it.  Lots of contact, but no real advantage gained, so no whistle.  The new rule presents an entirely different circumstance.  The question of advantage/disadvantage has been removed from the equation.  If the defender puts two hands on the dribbler, it’s a foul.  If the defender puts an arm bar on the dribbler, it’s a foul.  No judgment is involved.  That means that there will be many situations where officials may have held their whistles in years past, that will result in fouls being assessed this year. Adding to what I believe will be a significant increase in fouls called is the fact that this year, the rules makers have emphasized that the term “ballhandler" includes a post player who has received the ball.  Take a minute to visualize what we have grown accustomed to seeing when a player receives the ball "on the block."  The defense bodies up.  There is always at least one hand on the player's hip.  In most cases, there is an arm bar placed firmly in the back of the offensive player.  In some circumstances, we have seen a defender step back and place two hands on the offensive player as if he were preparing to push a refrigerator across the floor.  In the past, those situations were not automatic whistles.  Again, the concept of advantage/disadvantage controlled.  This year, the whistle will be blown.  It may not seem like much as you read this, but believe me, it’s going to make a BIG difference in how games are called. All of these rules changes are designed to permit more freedom of movement in the game.  Rules makers have decided that the game has become too physical, and they are moving toward restoring the movement and flow that fans enjoy watching.  Unfortunately, to meet that goal, I'm going to have to blow my whistle a lot more this year.  So, before you scream at me to "let ‘em play," please remember that I'm just following orders.  Hopefully, the players and coaches will adjust within a few weeks.  If not, it’s going to be a long season filled with lots of free throws.

Recently, during an email exchange with a co-worker, we were discussing the upcoming holidays and how we were excited, but at the same time not so excited about them. We started talking about Thanksgiving recipes and what we were planning to make, how much we were going to eat and how bad we would feel after eating so much.  After that, the topic of Christmas came up.  I told my friend that out of all of the holidays, “X-mas” is the one that I look forward to the least. I shared that I am actually dreading that the holiday is right around the corner.  I am not looking forward to all the rushing, the stress and, of course, spending money.  First, she corrected me that it is not “X-Mas,” it is Christmas.  She then wrote me the following email: “To me, Christmas is about hope, a light shining in the dark, the birth of a Savior.  If you focus on the true meaning of Christmas, it’s always good.  J We’ve just gotten so far away from the true meaning of Christmas, it’s become something else not even close to what it is supposed to be.  It’s really about God making a way for sinful people to come back into fellowship with Him.  After the sin of Adam and Eve, all generations that followed (including us) were separated from God because of sin.  When Christ came, He became the sacrifice God required to forgive our sin.  So, Christ made it possible for us to be forgiven and to have fellowship with God again.” I almost cried after I read this email.  It made me think and think hard.  I immediately felt like a weight had been lifted from my shoulders.  I began to think of Christmas for the right reasons.  Most of us, I think, get all wrapped up in the spending and the gifts so much that we lose sight of the true meaning of Christmas.  I thanked my friend for this true gift.  It is most certainly the best gift that I will receive this holiday season.

This Sunday, Nov. 27, begins the season of Advent in many Christian churches. Advent will last for four weeks and end on Christmas Eve. Many of us are familiar with Advent candles, Advent wreaths and Advent calendars. But what is Advent all about and what part should we play? The translation of Advent from Latin is "coming." And so we are waiting and preparing for a coming during the four weeks of Advent. This coming focuses on the past, as we celebrate when Jesus was born in a stable in Bethlehem. This coming likewise focuses on the future. It focuses on an unknown day in an unknown year when Christ will come again at the end of time and judge whether we are worthy to enter into the kingdom of heaven. Focusing on the past is fairly straightforward. We set up nativity scenes, we decorate a tree with lights and put a star or an angel on top to remember the birth of Jesus on Christmas Day. We observe the tradition of giving to those we love and to those less fortunate. We sing Christmas hymns reminiscent of that first blessed Christmas in Bethlehem. So far, so good. All A's and a few A+’s for the super duper do-gooders. Now on to part two. How do we use the Advent season to prepare for the second coming? We as a people have been commissioned to "love your God with all your heart" and to "love your neighbor as yourself.” If we know not the time of the second coming...Judgment Day...hadn't we better always be prepared? Most of us feel like we get a good grade on the "love your God with all your heart" mandate. What's not to love? He died on the cross for our sins, so that we would have the chance to live the heavenly life someday. He gave us life, complete with a family to love us, He gave some of us adorable children and grandchildren to cherish, He gave us our country, our faith and more material goods than any of us can ever use. He is well and truly loved. All A's and a few A+'s thrown in for the over-achievers. Now the sticky part about loving your neighbor as yourself. Who is your neighbor? He is the rest of the folks. That's black, white, Hispanic, Arab. He's Protestant, Jewish, Catholic, Seventh Day Adventist and Islamic. It's the blue bloods and the immigrants. It's the LBGT community as well as the straight. It's the guy at work who seldom takes a shower and doesn't use deodorant. It's that coach who wouldn't start your son at first base even though you knew he was better than the starter. It's the brother you had an argument with in 1987 and haven't spoken to since, much to the dismay of your mother. It's the spouse who left you for someone else. It's the friend who wasn't loyal when loyalty was what you needed most. It's the father who wasn't the Ozzie in Ozzie and Harriet. It's the brother-in-law who constantly hits you up for "a loan" and never pays you back. Now here we go, preparing for the second coming. We need to love all these folks as we love ourselves. How does that happen? Those feelings are packed in there, like dirt tramped down on a grave. And we're going to be judged on whether we love these folks as we love ourselves? No A's in this group so far. How do we start digging? One shovelful at a time. A Christmas card might be a good start. Praying for them would help. There has to be a big dose of forgiveness in there somewhere. Or maybe we dig to the bottom...have a talk, offer an olive branch, offer to start over. I think we just got an A, maybe an A+. We'll see how it goes. Let's all get ready. List them, kill them with kindness and check them off. I'm aiming for the big prize. You coming?

Thanksgiving is a holiday that is celebrated every year in November. The holiday was first celebrated by the Plymouth colonists and Wampanoag Indians in 1621. In 1863, President Abe Lincoln declared that there be a Thanksgiving Day every year in November. Everyone has Thanksgiving traditions that usually consist of food, family, friends, football, the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and more. It is also a day to give thanks for all of the blessings in life. In honor of the special holiday, some of the Bordas & Bordas attorneys and staff have collaborated to share their favorite memories about Thanksgiving. Marilyn Bell: One of my most memorable Thanksgivings was going to Holly River (Webster County) to visit a great aunt. She had a large, old farmhouse way down in a holler (as we called it). The old house was full of mysterious old items, including a pipe organ. Not sure why they had one in their home, but it was pretty awesome.  But what I loved most about this farm were the animals - cows, chickens, rabbits and ducks.  There was a small, shallow stream that ran behind the house, with just a board to cross over, and the barn set up the hill from the house.  Now, what I am about to tell you is the honest truth.  That year, when we went out back to see the animals, all the ducks were missing their feet.  They were walking around on stubs! They had run around enough to the point where the stubs had flattened out a little.  They were not in pain, and it didn’t interfere with their mobility (if anything, they could run faster on their stubs than on webbed, flat duck feet).  They were perfectly normal otherwise, and they were ALL alike.  Needless to say, we were amazed.  Our aunt explained that the previous winter, the ducks were in the creek wading when the temperature dropped and their feet were frozen in the water.  The rest of the story you can only imagine.  I have since researched this phenomenon on the Internet and it is possible.  My sisters and cousins can attest to this story.  Craziest bunch of ducks you’d ever see.  That’s a Thanksgiving sight I’ll never forget. Sally Blon: When I was small, Thanksgiving was a wonderful time of year. The house smelled of turkey and yeast bread rising, while the pumpkin pies and cinnamon rolls, made the day before, were lined up on the counter waiting to be eaten. All of us kids were sent out to play so we wouldn't be under foot in the kitchen, or stick our fingers into the pies. We could hardly wait to be called in for dinner. I fondly remember those years, and especially that my eyes were always bigger than my belly. I never listened when my mom would tell me not load my plate because I could never finish it all. The family dog loved me though. Geoff Brown: My favorite thing about Thanksgiving is football. Every year, our friends from Cleveland come to town for the annual Wheeling Worms vs. Ohio Hobos Turkey Bowl. The game started nine years ago in our backyard and the kids, who were much younger then, came up with the names of the teams. Over the years, we’ve moved the game to a bigger field and we now have team jerseys.  The only thing on the line, other than pride, is that the losing team has to pay for the winning team’s trip to Sheetz after the game.  As a proud member of the Worms, it is embarrassing to say that we have just two wins against six losses over the history of the game.  Hopefully, we can turn things around on Thursday.   Happy Thanksgiving and Go Worms! Jodi Cunningham: My favorite things about Thanksgiving are spending time with loved ones, giving thanks to God for all our blessings and enjoying all the wonderful food, especially my favorite – “Acorn Squash Casserole.” Jeanne Dedo: I remember sitting at the kids’ table with all my cousins and thinking how great it would be to sit at the adult table. Once I got to the adult table, I was thinking I want to go back and sit at the kids’ table, which was much more fun than the adult table.  You never know how much you’ll miss the little things in life that make you happy and I truly believe the food at the kids table always tasted better. Now, Thanksgiving has become a forgotten holiday. We go from Halloween straight to Christmas. Sad, but true. Erin Dodd: Just thinking of Thanksgiving Day, the aroma of the festive foods that fill the home and looking forward to tasting some specialty pies from relatives makes my mouth water. But, for me, it has always been, and always will be more about the family being together and the memories each year generates. As a child, Thanksgiving was the time the aunts, uncles and many cousins gathered at my grandparents’ home.  While the adults prepared the feast and visited over football games, the children all played flag football in the yard holding our very own “Turkey Bowl.”  After dinner, we nestled in our sleeping bags lined up in the rec room staying up late, goofing around, playing games and scaring each other with silly ghost stories. Now, I am one of those aunts making side dishes for the grandparents home - creating the memories for my children, nieces and nephews. But honestly, it gives me an even bigger thrill to see the memories they create together, and a bonding that will never be broken amongst them all.  I am truly grateful to have a solid home foundation and a loving family with which to celebrate this holiday time. Sharon Eubanks: My favorite Thanksgiving thing is making the dinner with my mom. Missy McAbee: One Thanksgiving when I was about 10, my cousin, Michelle, and I thought we were going to be the best hunters in the world.  We had this bright idea of staying at our grandparent’s house the night before Thanksgiving and getting up at the crack of dawn to go hunting down in our grandfather’s field.  We got up, bundled all up and headed down into the woods with my grandfather and my dad.  I remember how cold it was and how bored we were.  And being 10-year-old girls, we weren’t very quiet.  Needless to say, we lasted about 30 minutes down in those woods before we headed back up to the house and back to bed. Alena McAllister: My favorite part of Thanksgiving is being lucky enough to be able to spend it with my family. When I first graduated college, I worked in retail management and was always required to spend long hours at my stores in preparation for Black Friday sales. Sometimes it was exhilarating, especially the rush of people coming through our doors at midnight openings. But having to go to bed early in the afternoon on Thanksgiving Day or, worse, having to skip Thanksgiving dinner completely was not a happy trade. I’m thankful that my time in retail is over and I hope that we can temper our excitement for Black Friday deals long enough to allow my former colleagues to spend a day with their families as well. Becky Murphy: Thanksgiving with my family was and always has been filled with lots of food, lots of relatives and FOOTBALL.  Fun times with mom, dad, my brothers, their families and lots of aunts, uncles and cousins.  Now that mom, dad, aunts and uncles have passed on, we are carrying on the tradition with our local family members and in-laws.  It is still a good time to get together with all that can make it to Thanksgiving dinner.  And for that, I am VERY, VERY GRATEFUL.  Of course, we also remember all of those family members who are no longer with us and give thanks to God for having them in our lives for however long or short. So, I hope everyone has a THANKFUL THANKSGIVING and you all think of everything you are thankful for, past and present, on this wonderful day. Bryan Pasciak: I love spending time with my family, watching football and relaxing. As someone who enjoys sweet potatoes and pumpkins, Thanksgiving dinner is usually one of my favorites. Tricia Pennell: One of my favorite traditions for Thanksgiving is putting up my Christmas tree and decorating for the holidays.  I do this every year on Thanksgiving Day (Thursday) and then I have dinner on Friday with my family and celebrate the upcoming holiday season. Sherry Sharpsky: Thanksgiving is actually my favorite holiday. I have such fond memories of family gatherings -- love, laughter, reminiscing and the wonderful aromas coming out of my mom’s kitchen. Thanksgiving is a time to reflect on all the wonderful blessings that God has bestowed upon us and should open our hearts to charity, peace and goodwill. Crystal Shaver: One of the things I look forward to the most on Thanksgiving is the fact that my mom makes each one of us kids our own pumpkin pie to take home each year.  She also makes cinnamon rolls out of the leftover dough, which we all fight over because there’s usually only enough dough to make two.  So we do have to share the cinnamon rolls, but we are all guaranteed our own pie!  Umm, I’m getting hungry … Ty Smith: One thing I will always remember about Thanksgiving is when I was in the sixth grade, my cousins came into town from Cleveland.  My uncle promised to take all seven of us hunting for turkey.  I excitedly thought that meant I was going to either operate a rifle or a bow.  When we reached the forest, my uncle instructed each of us to find a big stick…. I said, “For what?”  He said to hunt turkey (boom)…how disappointed I was.  We never even saw a turkey.  We just walked around in the cold and mud for a few hours.  Little did I know he just wanted to get us out of the house so my mother, her sisters and my grandmother could have some peace while they prepared the best meal of the year. Darcy Springer: I have been making Thanksgiving Dinner for my entire family for at least the last 35 years!  That is a lot of turkeys, dressing, mashed potatoes and pumpkin pies. What is the one Thanksgiving no one lets me forget?  The one year I failed to put sugar in the pies. I laugh at myself for the sugarless pie as well!  I love having everyone come to dinner at my house, and knowing my dinner is their favorite!  Happy Thanksgiving everyone!! Jay Stoneking: Years ago my church used to sponsor a free Thanksgiving dinner for those who couldn’t afford one. My wife and I volunteered to drive a van around town, picking up our guests, taking them to the church and then returning them home. We got to socialize with all of our guests. Then at the end of the day all of the volunteers would eat their meal together, tired but genuinely happy that we had the opportunity to serve so many. Ellie Wallace: Although every Thanksgiving has been a wonderful memory of spending time with family, my most cherished memories are the ones when my mother and father were still alive and we would all pile into their little house with our growing families.   The house my parents raised the four of us kids in was not a large house and it seemed to grow smaller each year as our families grew.  But it didn’t seem to bother any of us that we were all squeezed in there like sardines.  Every Thanksgiving Day we would gather at their home and spend the whole day long into the evening sharing our lives, our love and eating the best home cooked food one could ever be blessed with. Amy Wilson: Our family gathered each year at my grandmother’s house for Thanksgiving.  I have fond memories of walking into her house and seeing glistening tinfoil everywhere—wrapped over the turkey, covering the pumpkin pies and enveloping the glass casserole dishes that housed all the sides. Susan Wilson: I have always been with my entire family and then added my husband’s family to our dinner table through the years on Thanksgiving Day. My most precious memory is from when I was a very young. Thanksgiving was my dad’s favorite holiday and my mom (who had seven children, making us a family of nine and quite poor money-wise) would prepare our Thanksgiving Day meal almost single-handedly. She started days before. But at that time, it was not only the nine of us at the table. We had several tables set up in the kitchen, my parent’s bedroom and the living room to accommodate grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins and friends.  My mom would prepare a meal for sometimes upwards of 30 people in our tiny house. Today, my sister has inherited Thanksgiving Day from my mom and we all help prepare my mom’s traditional Thanksgiving Day meal, including her stuffing. I have to mention the stuffing. It is a different recipe than the traditional, but so good! We have practically made no changes to her recipes, other than our in-laws will bring different desserts to enjoy. And those desserts are wonderful. Another part of the meal that has not changed is my mom’s pumpkin pies. I have taken over baking her pumpkin pies—lots of them—and no store-bought for us, ever. I think my mom’s pumpkin pies are more important to my family than anything else we gobble up on this day. My older brother demands that I make a pie just for him to take home and I always have to prepare at least two pumpkin pies to be left behind at my house for my family to enjoy.  Happy Turkey Day everyone!!! Zak Zatezalo: For us, Thanksgiving is possibly our truest family day of the year. It combines the reflection of Christmas without the gift-buying pressures. I love to watch the Macy’s Day Parade with the kids and then help with the final dinner preparations before welcoming our extended family for a dinner filled with the mindfulness of God’s grace and the things that truly matter most in life.

I write a Thanksgiving blog every year. But I have a confession to make:  this year’s blog was a hard one for me to write.  To be honest, it’s been a pretty rough year.  My mom died unexpectedly in July.  Then in October my dad learned that his lung cancer had returned.  Needless to say, both of these things are still weighing heavy on my heart. It would be easy for me to make excuses, right?  To give myself a free pass.  But that’s not God’s way.  No, God challenges us to give thanks “always and for everything.”  Eph 5:20.  Even though early Christians were facing terrible persecution, Paul urged them—and us—to “give thanks in all circumstances, for this is the will of God…”  1 Th. 5:18.  God is honored by our thanks, especially when we’re willing to express it in the midst of life’s hardships. It may not be easy, but that’s what I’m going to try to do in today’s blog. My mom has only been gone for two and a half months.  Slowly but surely I’m working my way through the grieving process.  But I can give God thanks by celebrating the life she lived. I can say this much with absolute confidence:  I am the man I am today because of my mom’s love and patience.  My mom was my biggest cheerleader.  Whatever I did, whether it was school, or career, or my work in ministry, she was always an encourager.  More than that, she was a woman of genuine faith.  Believers are challenged not only to know God’s word, but to live it out—to live a life “worthy of the gospel.”  Phil. 1:27.  Mom did that, and seeing her faith in action had a profound effect on me.  I remember my mom’s gentle strength and her passion for prayer.  Even as a grown man, I would share prayer needs with her knowing she would faithfully commit to pray for them. The truth is I see mom’s fingerprints all over my life, and I thank God for every one of them! The story of my dad’s cancer goes back 17 years.  After having surgery that removed half of his lung, he was cancer-free.  But he faced a new bout of cancer about a year ago.  We were encouraged to hear that he was a candidate for a new cancer treatment—an intense and precisely-targeted form of radiation.  It looked to us like the treatment may have been successful.  But last month we were told that the cancer was back and had begun to spread. You may be wondering:  how is it possible to be thankful in circumstances like that?  It’s a struggle, I’ll admit.  But even as we face this newest challenge, I can see God’s hand. I’ve always heard that a tragedy can either tear a family apart or bind it together.  I’m thankful that God is using my dad’s illness to make our family stronger.  The shock really hasn’t worn off yet, but I’m already seeing us pull together.  My dad has always been a strong man. And with every doctor visit I see his strength on full display.  But he’s not in this thing alone.  Children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, along with their husbands and wives, are rallying in support.  I know the house must be quiet now that mom is gone.  I hope that whenever he feels alone, he’ll be comforted by our love and by the power of our prayers. Why am I thankful?  I’m thankful that in times of trial and trouble, God sends friends and loved ones who can comfort us and refresh our spirits.  I pray that in the days ahead we can be an encouragement to dad and that he, in turn, can be an encouragement to us. I’ll sign off with this thought:  the truth is, thanksgiving is really a form of worship.  What I mean is that we don’t give thanks because our life is going good, but because He is good.  Six different times the psalmist tells us to “give thanks to God, for he is good.”  My prayer for you is that you’ll remember His goodness, and then, like the psalmist, that you’ll respond with thanksgiving!

Every year on Black Friday, people take to the stores to get a bargain on gifts they are buying for a loved one or on something they just can’t live without, all because of a “deal.” I know that some of the deals on this day are awesome, but is it worth it to push, shove and be disrespectful to your fellow shoppers? Over the years, we have heard horror stories about people being knocked down, trampled and some even dying as a result of such antics on Black Friday. I remember years ago shopping for my niece who was five or six years old at the time (she is now 33). Cabbage Patch Kids were hot that year, so my husband and I went out on Black Friday for a deal on this doll for her. I had it in my hand and was showing it to my husband when a lady came over and grabbed it out of my hand.  I was in my early 20s and was so taken aback by this lady that I just let her have it instead of fighting over. My husband was not so understanding at the time and went over to her and asked why she took it out of my hands. The lady looked him square in the eye and said, “I had it first!” To this day, we still remember just standing there, looking at each other in disbelief. He was ready to tell her a thing or two, but I grabbed his arm and told him it was not worth it. Being newly married, he looked into my eyes and agreed. So I dug some more in the store’s big bin and found a similar doll to the one I first had. After all that we went through to get the Cabbage Patch Kid on Black Friday, a week later that same store had those same dolls for a cheaper price. This just goes to show you that grabbing and fighting over items on Black Friday is just not worth it. There could be a better deal the next week. To this day, I hate it when my wonderful husband gets the newspaper with all the Black Friday deals in it and starts to plan out trips to the stores.  I sometimes refuse to go with him, because I can’t stand all the pushing, shoving, grabbing and people yelling at me or someone else. Last week, I wrote a blog about being kind to others. Well, this piggybacks on that subject.  Black Friday is a day to be understanding, accepting, patient, soft spoken and, most of all, to remember that we are out and about shopping for Christmas - the birthday of our Savior, Jesus Christ! Remember that while out shopping on Black Friday. The most important question is, what would God think of your actions on Black Friday? Think before you speak those nasty words or grab items out of others hands.  God is watching and he will tell Santa on you. Rock on, people. Rock on.