Friendsgiving to Thanksgiving

Friendsgiving is a newly coined term, referring to a meal and gathering of friends, similar to and around the time of Thanksgiving.  You can search its origins as easily as I can, but I first encountered the concept as college students held a Thanksgiving-type buffet dinner together before heading home to their families for Thanksgiving.  I continue to hear about Friendsgivings among various communities such as neighborhoods or church small groups.

I do wonder about the emphasis and intent of a Friendsgiving, as opposed to Thanksgiving.  Hopefully, it is not the replacement of the family but an extra dose of celebrating with an additional group of people.  In other words, an extra chance for great food and fellowship in the harvest season.  I also wonder if some individuals use the term Friendsgiving to de-emphasize gratitude or religious significance, but the Friendsgiving events that I’ve known of include giving thanks in their celebration among friends.

My daughter-in-law shared this photo from a recent Friendsgiving.

A holiday devoted to giving thanks by feasting together is splendid and accurately regards American history.  Thanksgiving is Biblical too.  The American event is not, of course, found in the Bible, but giving thanks is a theme throughout Scripture.  In the inspired words of 1 Thessalonians 5 v 16-18, Paul famously said to be thankful in everything. The Scripture is a trio of commands: “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” [The continual nature of giving thanks is also found in Ephesians 5 v 20, Philippians 4 v 6 and Colossians 3 v 17]

It’s hard to think of always being thankful in light of tragedies, deadly diseases, and waging wars that we hear of too often.  Sadly, there will be empty seats at Thanksgiving tables.  Psalm 107 v 1 reveals how unconditional gratitude is possible: “O give thanks unto the Lord, for He is good.”  Again, we are told to give thanks, but there is more clarification here with a direct and indirect object.  We give thanks  TO  God  BECAUSE  He is good.  The circumstances may not be good by human standards, but God Himself, by definition, is good (think holy, correct, sovereign).  Whether you are already half full of turkey and pumpkin pie from Friendsgiving or headed to Thanksgiving with family anticipating a feast and the fellowship, go with a grateful heart to God, for who He is!

Pardon My French – Part 2

This past spring, my husband and I celebrated a milestone anniversary with a trip to the Caribbean island of St. Martin.  The island is comprised of two countries:  the Dutch Sint Maarten and the French Saint-Martin.  Of course, the Proulxs chose a resort on the French side!

Besides the picturesque aqua waters of the Caribbean, the French international atmosphere enriched our short stay.  French citizens travel to this island, no passport needed; guests from France seemed clearly comfortable in their own country! The local language is French though St. Martin is strongly influenced by Caribbean culture.

During our stay at the resort, I noticed that one of the guest activities was a French class.  Being a former language teacher, I thought that sounded fun.  I showed up at the poolside activity booth at the scheduled time and asked about the class.  The host manning the booth scrambled a bit, but soon a staff member showed up, and brought along another staff member in training.  No other guests showed up, so the two guys offered me a table and chair nearby …  and I had a private French lesson!  It was comical!

Here are the phrases the tutor wrote for my lesson.

The two fellows were young, Black Caribbean natives.  Many residents on St. Martin are immigrants from nearby Caribbean islands, as these two may have been (I do not recall).  Apparently, job opportunities are more plentiful on St. Martin.  My tutors asked me what I wanted to learn.  One of them pulled out a sheet of paper and began to write out conversational phrases.  They pronounced the phrases, and I repeated them.  I enjoyed asking them questions about local education and language. They told me the official language and the language of school is French, but English language instruction begins early in their education.  There are locally spoken Creole languages too.  After 45 minutes of conversing with the two young men, I thanked them for their time and went on my way.  Let’s just say that I will need a few more lessons before I can manage any kind of French interaction, no fault of my sincere tutors!

Where does “A Writer’s Daughter” land this post?  One of my favorite themes is work and excellence.  My French teachers demonstrated those admirable traits, but I addressed that subject in my recent post “Dressed for Success on the Produce Aisle.”  Instead, I lean into the value of every individual, folks like us and folks who are not, like my Island tutors, so different from me. All of us share the imprint of the divine, being created in the image of God (Genesis 1 v 27).  We must esteem each other, beyond what we may or may not share in common.  God’s creatures, however, are not automatically all His children, as is often misstated.  God’s children are those who call Jesus, the sacrificial Son whom God provided for humanity, their one and only hope of redemption and salvation. Romans 10: v 9 – 13 Rendons grâce à Dieu.

This post is better viewed on www.brendaproulx.com  where you can also read Part 1 of “Pardon My French” and other previous posts.

 

 

Pardon My French – Part 1

Before our September trip to London and Paris, we met with a couple friend of ours to get their insights on Paris.  He spent some of his youth there, and they had returned to Paris for a family trip.  Being the sweet hostess she is, there was a lovely snack prepared for our short visit.  With the snacks, she laid out the “Pardon My French” napkins.  I laughed at the unlikely thought that my friend would speak any indiscretions.  She laughed too saying she didn’t even think of that, but that her grown children had given her the napkins because of the way she mixed a little bit of French and a smattering of Korean into her English vernacular.  Such fun humor!

I read up on culture as our trip approached, especially for Paris.  One hears that the French do not care for American tourists.  What I read is that the French dislike our brash style.  Americans, especially Americans on travel, may lack courtesy as they pursue their travel itinerary, expect to get all they paid for, and move on to the next event or destination.  In the American rush, politeness may be cut short.  This, I believe, is not the French way, The French are gracious and desire to provide polite service but expect to be approached with due courtesy.

A few years ago, I discovered a book series entitled Madame Chic.  The American author, Jennifer Scott, lived with a French family as an exchange student.  Scott was taken with the priority for grace and elegance she experienced in the home of her French host family.  The hosts were not a family of means, but they took the time to make everyday life elegant.  This included setting a nice table for every meal, keeping the house orderly and uncluttered, and taking care to dress and groom well daily.  These little niceties created a sense of beauty, enjoyment, and calm in the everyday. The French expression “Joie de vivre,” the joy of living, suggests living well in the moment.

I think we felt this vibe in Paris.  Many Parisians dress nicely.  For example, an older lady may be seen wearing pumps to walk her dog.  The cafes of Paris – there are three on every corner – are filled late into the night, even on weeknights, with folks savoring their meal, their cigarettes, and their wine.  There appears to be no hurry; they do not seem to worry that it’s getting late on a ‘school night.’   I rarely saw a laptop open in a Paris cafe, unlike an American Panera where half the patrons are working on their computers or phones.

Espresso is not the size of American coffee!
Every corner in Paris!
Called ‘red stonefruit tart’, this fresh raspberry tart was extraordinary!

 

 

 

 

 

I certainly admit that I can tend to be in a rush, especially when we lived in DC, especially when I was working.  I caught myself barging into an office or classroom, in a hurry to meet a student, blurting out a request, not taking the time for a kind greeting.  I get impatient in inefficient lines, rather than saying a friendly word to someone else who is also waiting.  Jesus’s disciples had a similar tendency:  anxious to find food or in a hurry to move on to the next stop, missing the mission of the moment.  Jesus, on the other hand, savored His earthly time.  He stopped to heal, paused to engage (with Zaccheus, among others), welcomed children.  The Apostle Paul wrote that we should “make the most of every opportunity because the days are evil.”  (Ephesians 5 v 15 & 16) The words God speaks through Paul may not be emphasizing the large quantity of things to be done, but rather the value of quality pursuits, using time wisely for God’s kingdom, relishing opportunities rather than rushing through them.  What do you think?        And yes, these are ominous days.

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