Be Thankful and Be Not Afraid

In all my years of life I have never, ever purchased a bumper sticker. That is until one month ago. That day, I was driving around town when I saw a car sporting a message that resonated so deeply with me that I knew my previously pristine bumper would not remain so for long. I googled the message and found the bumper sticker on the web (of course).

I was so excited to find it that I purchased 15 of them. Ha! Now if, over the years, my bumper sticker ever wears out, I have ample replacements waiting in the wings. I also figure many of my holiday stockings will become filled with this message.

As I look forward to a Thanksgiving Day spent with family, I want to remember the lessons of love and courage passed down from generation to generation. And this mama is so very thankful, embracing love and life and rejecting fear.

If you haven’t heard Mike Mangione sing Mama, Be Not Afraid, here is your chance. Take it away Mike…

~ Mama, Be Not Afraid by Mike Mangione & The Union

“The dirt road I come from
A storm from the past
Dust twirls in cyclone curls
And lays me on the grass
Steady as a heartbeat
And as fleeting as a wave
I break crest on newborn shores
From everlasting graves
I walk the seams
Of night and day
Amidst tears of all unknown
Please and face night fall cause
In the darkness light is shown

Ohh no
Ohh yeah
Mama, be not afraid”