Tag Archives: thanksgiving

Traveling this Thanksgiving? Here’s the weather to watch out for!

Thanksgiving weekend forecast map

Be ready to snuggle up, watch a little football, get out the board games and enjoy Thanksgiving with the family!  Much of the country will be dealing with a wet and sometimes snowy mess for the Thanksgiving holiday weekend especially in the Northern and Northeast parts of the country.  There will be some wet and wintry travel spots from coast to coast so be sure that you take it slow and listen to local forecasts along the way to Grandma’s house!  

Snow and ice accumulations are expected to be light in most of the country where winter weather is a factor but with the amount of people on the roads this holiday, any wet or snowy conditions are hazardous.  

The National Weather Service reports that today’s current storm located now in the center of the country will be spreading rain and snow across the Upper Midwest and is forecasted to move into the Northeast by the evening and early Thanksgiving morning, according to the National Weather Service.  

Although wintry weather will expand from northern Pennsylvania and New York on Wednesday night  and into parts of Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont and New Hampshire on Thursday, The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City is expected to proceed under cloudy and damp conditions.  

A significant winter storm over the Great Basin will impact much of the state of Wyoming where there will be white out conditions and ground blizzards expected in some counties.

Possible Airports that could be impacted for the long holiday weekend are: JFK, LaGuardia, Newark, Philadelphia, Washington DC, Boston, and San Francisco, mostly due to low clouds and rain.

Be sure to stay up to date with your local forecasts!  Drive carefully, respect the weather conditions and have a HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Greek Immigrant Gives Back on Thanksgiving

Every Thanksgiving people all of the United States gather together to share a meal.  For many it is with their family and friends.  For many others who are alone on Thanksgiving their meal comes from caring people that know how much food served with love means to their life.  

One such caring man has made it a tradition at his Northville, Michigan restaurant, called George’s Senate Coney Island by opening up his popular place of business to those that are alone over the Thanksgiving holiday.  Every Thanksgiving(or Easter!) for the past 10 years if you are homeless or even just alone for Thanksgiving , you can get a free meal at George’s.

Each year George serves 75 to 100 people.

“The reason I do this is because I was alone one time,” Dimopoulos told ABC news. “I remember the good times and bad times.”  

“I see people coming into the restaurant, and I say, ‘Are you by yourself?’ and they say, ‘I am, I’m alone,'” Dimopoulos told Today.com. “They need a little attention and help. That’s what I believe. I don’t care how much it costs. I make good money, so I can help those people.”

Recently a passerby posted a photo of the sign advertising the event to Reddit.  

“If anyone is home alone, come eat with us for free! All day,” the sign reads.

In a recent article, Huffington post said that for George, helping others in this way is quite personal.  The Greek-born Michigan immigrant who came to the country when he was 23 was once homeless in Athens when he was 12 and relied on strangers to help him find ways to eat.

This is a man that understands the meaning of paying forward in a warm, welcoming and delicious way!

Winter Storm Cara Bringing Dangerous Mix

Winter Storm Cara will make traveling for Thanksgiving and for those returning home, slow going and in some places quite dangerous for a great deal of the middle of the country. According to the Weather Channel, this strong system will bring a mixture of flooding rain, heavy snow and treacherous icing conditions.  The possibility for black ice is a great concern as well as power outages from freezing rain.

Accuweather has reported that freezing rain has already been reported in the early morning hours of Thanksgiving in parts of northeast Colorado, eastern Wyoming and Nebraska.

The National Weather Service has issued an ice storm warning for portions of the Texas and Oklahoma panhandles, including the city of Amarillo, Texas, as well as parts of southern Kansas. These warnings are valid from Thursday night into Friday or Saturday.

Cities that could experience one or more periods of freezing rain and drizzle include Amarillo, Texas; Gage, Oklahoma; Dodge City, Kansas; Lamar, Colorado; Omaha, Nebraska; and Des Moines, Iowa.

According to AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Dave Bowers, “People traveling either a short or long distance from the eastern slopes of the Rockies to the Plains, Mississippi Valley and Great Lakes region are likely to encounter delays into Friday.”

Snow is expected from the central and eastern parts of Colorado and Wyoming to central Nebraska, northwestern Kansas, northwestern Iowa and southeastern Minnesota. The slushy snow will harden as the temperatures fall so caution is urged.

The most widespread impact on travel will be associated with drenching rain during Thanksgiving Day into Friday.

“Motorists will need to slow down due to patchy fog and blowing spray and to reduce the risk of hydroplaning,” Bowers said.

Enough rain can fall in some locations to cause flash flooding. The greatest risk of flooding  will extend from north-central Texas to southern Missouri.

For those traveling in these areas be sure to check weather conditions before heading out on the road.  

Winter Storm Cara poised to impact Thanksgiving travel

A powerful winter storm is disrupting Thanksgiving travel plans across the United States, bringing ice, snow and rain to those in its path.

Winter Storm Cara pummeled the Pacific Northwest with more than a foot of snow and knocked out power to thousands of people on Tuesday, and the storm appears to be only getting started.

The National Weather Service has issued numerous weather advisories and warnings across the country, ranging from hard freeze and winter storm warnings in Oregon to winter weather and flood watches in Oklahoma. Parts of Wyoming are under a blizzard warning on Wednesday.

There are more concerns of snow, black ice, fog and flooding as the storm continues to move east, according to forecasts from The Weather Channel and AccuWeather.

Those are expected to cause travel delays at airports and on highways from the Rocky Mountains to the Great Lakes into Friday, meteorologist Dave Bowers told accuweather.com.

The latest Weather Channel forecasts call for Cara to dump a foot and a half of snow in parts of the country through Sunday, though most areas are projected to receive less than five inches.

AccuWeather meteorologists also warn of the potential impact of other forms of precipitation.

While they don’t expect freezing rain will be a major issue for most of the country, there is the chance for enough accumulation to bring down power lines and trees in the Great Plains.

They also noted that some areas could experience flash flooding as rain is expected to fall across the Great Plains on Thursday and Friday. The storm is expected to continue east Saturday.

The Weather Channel also warned of the potential for flooding and flash flooding throughout the weekend, as conditions are ripe for torrential rainfall in the south central United States.

The Associated Press reported on Tuesday that parts of Washington had already been without power for nearly a week after a deadly windstorm knocked out the electrical grid in Spokane. Cara’s winds then knocked out power to more than 40,000 Washington residents, KIRO reported.

Bowery Mission Hosts 135th Thanksgiving Day Homeless Dinner

New York City’s Bowery Mission spent their 135th straight Thanksgiving providing thousands of meals to the homeless of the city.

“More than 600 volunteers will prepare these meals and serve guests in the mission’s century-old chapel, with music and festive decorations for the holiday,” James Winans, chief development officer at the Bowery Mission, told The Christian Post.

The mission serves meals in two hour shifts throughout the day.  The meals are traditional Thanksgiving meals with turkey, potatoes, stuffing, green beans, gravy and all the fixings.

“Pie for dessert,” Winans added with a smile.

Winans said that mission doesn’t bother with seeking someone’s “eligibility for services” or other qualifying standards for government shelters.

“We simply seek to meet their specific need, no questions asked,” he said.

The Bowery Mission was founded in 1879 and has given out almost 400,000 meals to the homeless this year.

Thanksgiving Place Set For Pastor Abedini In Front Of White House

A group of supporters of Pastor Saeed Abedini set a place at the Thanksgiving table in front of the White House on Thanksgiving as a way to remind President Obama that he has done next to nothing to bring home the American wrongly imprisoned in Iran for being a Christian.

“While Americans enjoy the blessings of spending Thanksgiving Day with family and friends, it is important to remember that millions around the world are being brutalized, persecuted and attacked for their Christian faith. Thousands are in prison,” Rev. Patrick J. Mahoney, director of the Christian Defense Coalition, said in a statement to the Christian Post.

“Pastor Saeed will not be able to spend this special day with his wife and two young children but instead will be spending it in a cramped prison facing constant violence and persecution.”

Mahoney also said part of the display in front of the White House was to remind Christians that they cannot be complacent when it comes to the freedom of their brothers and sisters in Christ around the world.

This is the second Thanksgiving behind bars for Abedini.

Winter Storm Snarls Holiday Travel

A major winter storm is striking the northeast during the heart of the Thanksgiving travel period.

Forecasters are predicting snowfall in excess of a foot throughout most of central New England.  Heavy rain and wind should reach from western North Carolina through Maine.  Thunder snowstorms are a possibility through the region.

“In most cases, the worst time to travel in the mid-Atlantic and New England due to the storm will be on Wednesday and Wednesday night,” wrote AccuWeather’s Elliot Abrams.

Flight delays are possible throughout the New England corridor through the weekend.

Forecasters also are warning about ice covered roads on Thanksgiving and for weekend travel.

Reflections on Thankfulness

As I reflect on this past year, I couldn’t be more thankful for my station in life which includes my amazing marriage, motherhood and ministry.  I have been so blessed in this life and love these scriptures that talk about blessing:

Matthew 5:2-12

And opening His mouth He began to teach them, saying, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. “Blessed are the gentle, for they shall inherit the earth. “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy. “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. “Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “Blessed are you when men cast insults at you, and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely, on account of Me. “Rejoice, and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you. Continue reading →

Choose Thankfulness!

No matter what your station in life, no matter your situation or your circumstance, there is always something to be thankful for. In fact, thankfulness is a choice that we make each moment of our lives as we live in this fallen world and wait for the final redemption from it.

The truth that we must all get down deep into our souls is that Jesus has already redeemed us, if we believe in Him and receive Him as our Lord and Savior. When this world and its problems challenge our sense of eternal well-being, the scriptures provide all the answers we need to confront and overcome the lies of the enemy.

Today, I am so thankful for the Word of God and its supernatural ability to keep us in Times of Trouble in this world. Ephesians 6:17 describes the Word of God as the Sword of the Spirit with which we can fight and be able to stand, and having done all…. Stand! Continue reading →

Winter Storm Death Toll Rises To 11

The major storm making its way across the U.S. is now officially blamed for 11 deaths as it bears down on the East Coast in sync with Thanksgiving travel times.

Over half the deaths are in Texas with most released to ice covered roads. One woman was killed when a tree weighed down by ice fell onto her car.

The National Weather Service has issued winter storm warnings for large parts of the eastern United States through Wednesday afternoon. Forecasters predict big delays at some of the nation’s largest airports – New York, Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, Boston and Charlotte, North Carolina – are very likely.

Thanksgiving is one of the peak travel times of the year. Airlines for America, the industry’s lobbying group, say this year could see the most air travellers since 2007 with an estimated 2.56 million passengers. AAA estimates as many as 39 million people will be traveling by car Wednesday and Thursday.

The storm is expected to bring heavy rain to the south that could cause delays at southern airports like Atlanta.