Call me Captain: A thanksgiving post
It’s Thanksgiving! How in the world is it here already?
I was reading Janie B. Cheaney’s column in World Magazine the other day, and I agreed with how she described the passage of time. “When I was 6, Christmas took forever to arrive. At age 10 I couldn’t wait for school to start, and two days later couldn’t wait for winter break. Time dragged when I was a young mother stuck at home with toddlers, and flashes by today when realizing my oldest granddaughter will soon be 17. Nieces and nephews I knew as babies now post Facebook pictures of their own kids going off to college.”1
Time is slow for the young, and it flashes by for the “old.” This year, our family stepped into the joyful paradox of time. In February, we learned that Sam and Sidney were expecting.
I’m a huge Star Trek fan, so I was delighted in the way they announced it to us! 🖖🏻
Fast forward to October 30, and I became a grandpa. I never knew that you got to pick your grandpa name, so I chose “Captain” in ode to Captain James T. Kirk.
This year, Sam and Sidney had everyone guess the baby’s name (a boy was all we knew). The initials were J.S. They said he wasn’t a “junior,” so “Jeff” was out of contention. My guess/hope was “James T. Spock” Noble. I was wrong. The day before Halloween, we welcomed and celebrated the entrance of John Shepherd Noble into the world.
Time seemed to fly by, and yet as I held Shepherd last night (they’re at our house for Thanksgiving!), I gazed in wonder at this infant and also longed for him to be old enough to throw the ball with, to spoil, and of course, to introduce to Star Trek. However, these are days to savor and simply allow the slow passage of time. Let’s not hurry toward that.
I’m thankful that in Shepherd’s innocence and dependence right now, he has not yet had to experience anxiety, the stress of paying bills, the disappointment of betrayal, the pain of heartache, or any of life’s devastations. Those days will come as they have for all of us. For now, I’m relearning the stunning joy of slow time.
As if a grandson wasn’t enough
2023 has been an amazing year all around.
We also welcomed another family member into the fold. Adelyn and Braeden adopted a lovable dog, Ziggy. Like I am with Hank (my other granddog), I am confident that I am Ziggy’s favorite human. We got to watch her for a week this summer.
The construction of our church’s administration building was completed, and we moved in in January! You can read here about moving into our first church facility in 2021, but having a real office again was wonderful! I had officed out of one of the nursery classrooms for over a year, and while it was nice having a changing table and access to a (small) toilet/private bathroom, I was ready for a “big boy” bathroom and office.
My podcast Ordinary Celebrity featured some really cool folks this past year - an author, Disney+ veterinarian celebs, and a sports writer turned minister. You can find the podcast on Apple Music, Spotify or wherever you listen to your podcasts. (would love for you to rate and recommend!)
I went back to an iPhone after a three-month stint (and a really genuine attempt) to appreciate Androids. I have nothing but good to say about my ASUS Zenfone 9, but alas, it couldn’t compare to the Apple/iPhone ecosystem.
Adelyn and Braeden became homeowners! We were thrilled to help them move into their first home, and Carolyn made several trips down to help paint and decorate.
Virginia Tech’s women’s basketball team made it to the Final Four in the NCAA Tourney. It was so fun watching them. They were ultimately beat by LSU who went on to win the championship.
Also at the end of March, a horrible tornado wreaked devastation on my hometown of Little Rock, Arkansas. We were all so grateful that my family and extended family were spared of any damage.

In April, I got to spend a weekend with my dad while my mom went to a college friends’ reunion. We had a ton of fun - eating out and gallavanting around Little Rock.
Our family beach trip in July was the last before kids were in the picture. We all enjoyed another excursion to the Outer Banks - this time in Duck, NC. That was when I saw the Barbie movie - with my daughter-in-law. It was a better choice than fishing (which everyone else did).
Sam got me into football cards again.
My son-in-law was inducted into the Macbook family.
At the end of September, Carolyn and I made another trip to Arkansas, and we were so thankful to visit our alma mater, Ouachita Baptist University for its annual Tiger Tunes celebration. The next day, we went to Monticello to enjoy a reunion with former students at the Baptist Collegiate Ministry at the University of Arkansas at Monticello.
Our church celebrated its 20th anniversary. It was founded in 2003, and we rejoiced one October Sunday as former members and church alumni all joined us to worship and honor what God has done in and through our faith family over the past twenty years. Watch the highlight video here:
In early November, we found out we had a broken water line, but thankfully a friend was able to mobilize some of his workers to come repair it the next day!
I said goodbye to my trusty GMC Terrain just last week. After 10 years of driving it, I was grateful for what a good vehicle it had been. I will miss those seat heaters! I replaced it with a 2021 Toyota Tacoma which I absolutely love. Being a truck guy again is exciting. I just need some dirt roads now.
Simply thankful
I’m writing this on the eve of another Thanksgiving. The girls are out shopping, Sam is watching fantasy football show on YouTube, and Shepherd is sleeping in his cradle.
I am so deeply thankful.
The Psalmist declares in Psalm 30:4-5 -
Sing praises to the LORD, O you his saints, and give thanks to his holy name.
For his anger is but for a moment, and his favor is for a lifetime.
Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning.
Time has passed inexorably once again. It’s flown by. It’s tarried. Some has been saved. Some wasted.
In Cheaney’s article, she quoted C.S. Lewis as saying:
“‘How he’s grown!’ we exclaim. ‘How time flies!’ as though the universal form of our experience were again and again a novelty. It’s as strange as if a fish were repeatedly surprised at the very wetness of water.”
We never know what each year will bring. Birth. Change. Sometimes grief. However, with each clock’s tock, we can face the next hour with one marvelous weapon - gratitude. Gratitude is a mental assault against discontent.
Perhaps that’s why the old hymn beckons and urges us to “count your blessings.”
I leave you with the lyrics of the hymn, and I encourage you to break out the adding machine:
When upon life’s billows you are tempest-tossed,
When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost,
Count your many blessings, name them one by one,
And it will surprise you what the Lord has done.
Refrain:
Count your blessings, name them one by one,
Count your blessings, see what God has done!
Count your blessings, name them one by one,
*Count your many blessings, see what God has done.
[*And it will surprise you what the Lord has done.]
Are you ever burdened with a load of care?
Does the cross seem heavy you are called to bear?
Count your many blessings, every doubt will fly,
And you will keep singing as the days go by.
When you look at others with their lands and gold,
Think that Christ has promised you His wealth untold;
Count your many blessings—*money cannot buy [*wealth can never buy]
Your reward in heaven, nor your home on high.
So, amid the conflict whether great or small,
Do not be discouraged, God is over all;
Count your many blessings, angels will attend,
Help and comfort give you to your journey’s end.2
Prior Thanksgiving posts
2008: Giving thanks
2010: The Thanksgiving Chair
2011: Very Thankful
2013: Thanksgiving 2013
2014: Thanksgiving past
2015: Another thankful year
2016: Choosing Thanksgiving
2018: Thankful for pardon
2020: A pandemic thanksgiving
2021: Thanksgiving smokers
Eternity in our hearts, by Janie B. Cheaney (World Magazine: September 7, 2023)
Public Doman, Johnson Oatman, Jr., pub. 1897