(Ran originally in the Sunday, November 24 editions of The Times and The News-Star.)

America is one of the few countries in the world that sets aside a day each year specifically to thank God.

There are 195 countries in the world today.

Less than 10 countries do what we’ll do Thursday — enjoy a day whose purpose from its birth has been strictly for giving thanks.

With that in mind, this is not required reading. But with Thanksgiving knocking on our door, I was hopeful you’d go to Sunday school with me and get a glimpse of the giving and gracious God of the Bible the Pilgrims thanked at the Unofficial First Thanksgiving in 1621, who George Washington thanked when he set aside a “national day of thanks” in 1789, and who Abraham Lincoln thanked when he called for a federal Thanksgiving holiday in 1861.

The rest of this is a paraphrase from my favorite Sunday school teacher’s effort back on the first Sunday of this Thanksgiving Month.

And if you’re unfamiliar with some of these historical people — we won’t explain them all — look them up if you want to know more. Each has a fascinating story. And each would find it hard to believe they could, as a Biblical character, be “Googled” today. It’s a technological water-into-wine sort of thing.

There are lots of biblical examples of gratitude to God.

Here is post-flood Noah in Genesis, building an altar, an expression of gratitude, on dry land.

As recorded in Exodus 15, after Pharaoh and his army had been consumed by the no-longer-parted Red Sea, Miriam led the women in song and dance as an act of gratitude for their deliverance.

And David the giant killer never tired of writing psalm after psalm of gratitude and thankfulness.

Solomon built an entire temple as a way of showing thanks.

Luke Chapter 2 gets most of the Christmastime love but check out Chapter 1 sometime and hear Mary’s song after being told that she was to be the mother of God’s Son:

“From now on all generations will call me blessed,
for the Mighty One has done great things for me—
holy is his name.”

And finally the Gentile leper of Luke 17. It’s written that Jesus healed 10; only one returned to say thank you. But that one was told, “Rise and go; your faith has made you well.”

The Pilgrims faced a lot of negatives when they landed in the Northeast this month in 1620. Bitter cold. Unfamiliarity with the land. They were isolated, so they had to elect a government. But the next November, they had a feast and thanked God for the setbacks that challenged them to improve.

Shouldn’t we do the same thing?

If we complain of high taxes, probably our pay check is pretty good. If our bones ache, it is good to remember that we have friends in the cemetery who wish they had our aching bones. If someone doesn’t like what’s going on in Washington, thank goodness we have the freedom to say it.

Think of all the wonderful memories you have, some stashed as pictures in boxes and, when looked at again, become living color pictures in your mind. Placed in perspective, things might not be so bad after all…

We are prone to fumble. That same Noah who built an ark and an altar got stinking drunk and embarrassed his family. David, the shepherd boy and giant slayer who became king, slept with a woman and had her husband killed. And nine lepers made whole never returned to say thanks.

Like Noah and David and the lepers, even though we sometimes don’t keep our promises to him, God keeps his to us. He forgets us never.

Something to be thankful for.

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By TEDDY ALLEN/Designated Writers

“Oh the sun’s gonna shine in my life once more,

Love’s gonna live here again…”

— Buck Owens and the Buckaroos

As you can tell from the photograph taken by non-professional visual artist Me, things are getting for reals at the site of the old J.C. Love Field at Pat Patterson Park.

There used to be a ballpark here. And there will one day be a ballpark here again.

Beautiful memories of the old ballpark. But an April tornado snuffed it and several other athletic facilities on the Ruston campus out. Hurt me.

But the silver lining is Insurance, FEMA, the state, and the athletics facilities to come. Tech revealed pictures of the new joints Thursday, all posted on latechsports.com and the Louisiana Tech Athletics facebook page.

LA Tech’s new soccer/softball complex and new baseball field is going to be a dramatic, inspiring addition to the 21st century campus landscape. The pictures can’t do the final product justice.

The baseball structure, on the old site, will reach 15 feet higher at that same Tech Drive, West Alabama entrance to campus. You won’t have to leave the concourse to go to a bathroom or concession stand. The field will turn about two degrees toward left field, and there will be more tailgating area down the right field line. The plate will be within five feet of where it was, but the stands will be closer and begin at field level. The dimensions aren’t yet set in stone.

The rugby field across from Marbury House will be the new soccer field, and west down the hill in a bit of what is now parking will be the softball field. Joining the two will be the best female student-athlete facility in the region, connected soccer and softball coomplexes on two levels since the ground from the rugby field drops 30 feet now; that natural drop helps to make the final product more distinctive and dramatic.The softball field would be situated about as it is now if you could pick up the old field — now cleaned up and gone — and set it where the new field will be.

The goal is for soccer to have its field by fall but that’s still a jump ball. Maybe the softball and baseball complexes won’t be completely ready by next February, but the playing fields will be and Tech can have home games again. In sweet new digs.

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