Thanksgiving blessing, Harry Rust and Redhawks football

Tyler Graef ~ Southeast Missourian

I hope your Thanksgiving Day is warm and full of family and friends. Enjoy tomorrow. And, if you don't have some place to go or others to spend part of the day with, know the Salvation Army welcomes you to help. Or simply: to enjoy the meal. Doors at 701 Good Hope Street are open 11 a.m. until 2 p.m. for those seeking to break bread and connect with others.

On Monday we bade farewell to a talented, good man: my uncle Harry Rust. I have so many fond memories of talking with him and seeing him rib his brothers. Harry was an innovative businessman -- long-time owner of Rust & Martin -- and a community leader. At the funeral, his son Michael gave a beautiful tribute to him and his mother, Barbara, who knew each other their whole lives -- having "met" in the church nursery and grown up and gone to school and church together from the beginning -- and been married for 64 years. He died a month shy of 85, having lived a remarkable life, centered on God, family, his employees and friends, trout fishing and Centenary Church. He will be missed.

This Saturday Southeast Missouri State hosts a football playoff game for the first time in its history. SEMO (8-3 overall) will host Stony Brook (7-4) at Houck Stadium at 1 pm. It would be great to have a full stadium. SEMO Coach Tom Matukewicz is one of the good guys we should all root for: honorable, hard-working, humble, dedicated, inspiring. He's assembled great coaches around him -- and the players have responded to adversity well, including overcoming a heart-breaking last-second loss that would have clinched the OVC title for them two weeks ago. The thing is: The Redhawks are really good -- and extremely fun to watch. Ranked 20th in the nation, they were awarded an at-large bid to the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs. Good luck on Saturday Coach! Good luck Redhawks!

To those looking for a place on Thursday, to the broader Rust family, to the Redhawks on Saturday, to all around the world, I think of Isaiah 40:31. "But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint."

Happy Thanksgiving! God's blessings be with you tomorrow and always.

Jon K. Rust is publisher of the Southeast Missourian.