Whyte House Family Spoken Novels Holiday #40: A Miraculous Thanksgiving Chapter 1

Welcome to the Whyte House Family Spoken Novels podcast: Holiday Edition episode #40. Today we are reading chapter 1 of the book “A Miraculous Thanksgiving” by Daniel Whyte III with Meriqua Whyte.

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“Remember the Alamo,” eight-year-old Adriena Atkinson whispered to herself as she turned her attention to the noise coming from the children playing outside. Looking off dreamily into the distance she wished she could be out there with them. Her eyes followed a little boy being chased by a friend his age. As she cupped her chin in the palm of her hands, she switched her attention to a leaf falling gracefully to the ground. It was bright orange in color. She watched several other leaves follow. The lone tree sitting in the backyard would soon be bare of its leaves in preparation for winter. The weatherman promised a cool Fall followed by a mild Winter. Such weather was typical in Texas. But you never know, sighed Adriena, still wishing she could go out to play. Father was still at the office and would be home any minute now. Mother was putting the final touches on the evening meal of spaghetti and meatballs with salad. Her sisters and brothers were busy finishing their school work.

The family had moved to Texas about two years ago. Adriena was quite surprised at the number of Mexican children living in Texas. She loved the way they spoke and vowed to learn the Spanish language. So far she could count to ten; say ‘Hello’ (Hola); say, ‘Goodbye’ (Adios); ask, ‘How are you?’ (Como esta usted?); reply, ‘Very well, thank you.’ (Muy bien, gracias); and ask, ‘Where are you going when you leave here?’ (Que vas a hacer al salir?).

“Adriena, for the third time turn away from the window and complete your school work,” Mrs. Atkinson called from the kitchen where she had full view of the dining room. “You have about thirty more minutes before it’s time to eat.”

“Yes, ma’am. I just wish I could go out to play. It looks so inviting outside,” Adriena replied.

Mrs. Atkinson was a stay-at-home Mom who home-schooled Adriena and her siblings. Adriena loved being taught at home and would not trade it for anything. She scooted her chair back around the table and began flipping through the pages of her Texas history reader. She loved this time of the year when everyone was getting ready for Thanksgiving and also for Christmas. She felt the two holidays fell in appropriate order: before the celebration of the birth of the Savior of all mankind, she felt it quite appropriate to have a season of Thanksgiving, thanking God for His blessings upon them.

“What’s the matter with you now?” her older sister, Bria, asked.

“Aw, nothing. Just wondering what this Thanksgiving will be like. Do you think we will have a big turkey this year?”

“Of course. We always have a big turkey,” Bria replied.

“With all the macaroni and cheese you want,” her older brother, Justin, added. Justin loved to eat and always wanted macaroni and cheese with all special meals. “Have we ever missed a Thanksgiving without a turkey?” Adriena shook her head, no. “And we won’t this year.”

“Well don’t we always start shopping for Thanksgiving about a week before?” Adriena asked. “We haven’t bought anything yet—not even a can of corn. Adriena loved Green Giant Golden Sweet Kernel Corn. No meal, in her opinion, was complete without it.

“Adriena, you worry too much. Like Justin said, we’ve always had Thanksgiving with all the trimmings including all the sweet corn you want to eat.” That was Sandra. Sandra’s twin, Sonja, nodded in agreement and added with a giggle, “After we eat, we can help you put together a Thanksgiving list. Maybe Mother is waiting on a list from us to remind her what to get.”

“That’s exactly what I’m waiting on,” Mrs. Atkinson said smiling as she came into the dining room. “Put away your books and you girls go to the big bathroom and get washed up for supper. Justin and Caleb go to the other bathroom and don’t wake the baby.”

The children scurried off to get ready for supper. As they were settling down at the dinner table Mr. Atkinson entered through the front door. “Hello, everyone,” he said as the children rushed to greet him. “Something sure smells good. And I have just the right thing to top it off.” Mr. Atkinson gave the bag of piping hot garlic bread to Bria to set on the table. After changing into more comfortable clothing, and joining the family at the dinner table, Mr. Atkinson blessed the meal, thanking God for bringing them together again and allowing them to be so close to seeing another Thanksgiving Day.

“Papa, are we going to have another big Thanksgiving again with your favorite turkey recipe?” Adriena asked.

“Sure,” Mr. Atkinson replied. “Are you worried about that?”

Adriena shrugged her shoulders.

“I think she’s getting a bit anxious,” Bria said.

“You don’t have to worry your pretty little head about that. God has always provided for us, hasn’t He?” Adriena nodded. “We’ve always had a Thanksgiving with a big turkey. God will provide.”

Well, He normally provides up to a week before the date, Adriena thought. And I don’t even see a can of my favorite sweet kernel corn. “Yes, sir,” she answered.

After supper, the family had their devotions. Mr. Atkinson spoke on giving thanks always and not just on Thanksgiving day. The family Bible verse for that week was Psalm 107:1: “O give thanks unto the Lord, for He is good: for His mercy endureth forever.”

“What are you thankful for?” Mr. Atkinson asked each of them.

“I am thankful for my family,” Bria said with a smile. Seventeen year old, Bria, was finishing off her last year in high school and preparing to enter college. She did volunteer work every Saturday at the Parkland Home for the elderly. She had plans to become a doctor.

“I’m thankful for my little brother,” Justin said with a grin. He had been the only boy for some years among four girls and could not wait for the birth of his brother, Caleb. He was always sighing and murmuring under his breath: ‘I want a break from these girls. They don’t even know how to throw a football.’

“I am thankful for my twin sister,” Sandra said hugging her sister. They looked so much alike and had similar personalities. Bria sometimes had a hard time telling them apart especially when they dressed alike. Sometimes they would play tricks on Adriena and others in the family. Only their parents could tell them apart.

“I’m thankful for my twin and for God saving me,” Sonja said returning her sister’s hug. Sonja was a bit more patient than her sister and was always doing fun, creative stuff with Adriena.

“I’m thankful for Thanksgiving,” Adriena said with a wide smile. Her ponytails jiggled about as she turned her head rather quickly from one face to the other.

“I am thankful for my toys and for my big brother,” Caleb said. Caleb was four-years-old and was very smart for his age. His favorite past-time was building with his LEGO blocks.

Before Mrs. Atkinson could give her thanks, they heard a gurgling sound coming from the bedroom. It was baby Sasha awaking from her afternoon nap. She had just received her shots the day before and was still running a slight fever. Despite that, she was ooing, aaing and gurgling cheerfully when Mrs. Atkinson went to retrieve her from her crib. “How’s my little munchkin doing?” she said giving her an affectionate hug. The family thought that Caleb would be the last child born into the family, so Sasha was an extra blessing to them.

“And what are you thankful for?” Mr. Atkinson asked baby Sasha. Well, you could hardly call her a baby now; she was almost two-years-old. Her birthday was in December.

“I know,” Adriena piped in. “She’s thankful for a fat turkey leg to chew on for Thanksgiving.” Everyone laughed.

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Thank you for joining us for this episode of Whyte House Family stories. You may purchase a copy of this novel and any other Christian fiction books read on this podcast from Amazon.com.

Now, dear listener, please know that God—the divine Author of all things—wants to write a great story with your life as well. But first you must give Him the pen by trusting Him with the life He gave you and surrendering your heart to Jesus Christ as Savior. Here is how:

1. Accept the fact that you are a sinner, and that you have broken God’s law. The Bible says in Ecclesiastes 7:20: “For there is not a just man upon earth that doeth good, and sinneth not.” Romans 3:23 reads: “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.”

2. Accept the fact that there is a penalty for sin. The Bible states in Romans 6:23: “For the wages of sin is death…”

3. Accept the fact that you are on the road to hell. Jesus Christ said in Matthew 10:28: “And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” The Bible says in Revelation 21:8: “But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.”

4. Accept the fact that you cannot do anything to save yourself! The Bible states in Ephesians 2: 8, 9: “For by grace are ye saved through faith: and that not of yourselves: it is a gift of God. Not of works, lest any man should boast.”

5. Accept the fact that God loves you more than you love yourself, and that He wants to save you from hell. Jesus Christ said in John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

6. With these facts in mind, please repent of your sins, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and pray and ask Him to come into your heart and save you this very moment. The Bible states in the book of Romans 10:9, 13: “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.”

“For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

Dear friend, if you are willing to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation, please pray with me this simple prayer: Heavenly Father, I realize that I am a sinner and that I have done some bad things in my life. For Jesus Christ sake, please forgive me of my sins. I now believe with all of my heart that Jesus Christ died for me, was buried, and rose again. Lord Jesus, please come into my heart and save my soul and change my life today. Amen.

If you believed in your heart that Jesus Christ died on the cross, was buried, and rose again, allow me to say, congratulations on doing the most important thing in life and that is accepting Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour! For more information to help you grow in your newfound faith in Christ, go to Gospel Light Society.com and read “What To Do After You Enter Through the Door”. Jesus Christ said in John 10:9, “I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.”

May God bless you until next time.