Monday Meander – October 12, 2020

Autumn's falling leaves waft gold and red in the air. They touch my doorstep with a gentle tap - Thanksgiving has come calling.

We made our feast on Saturday. There was turkey and there was pie. But as it has for seven months now, CoVID-19 muted the guest list, imposing a celebration that was abnormal,  incomplete, and far from perfect. Yet perhaps that will be what in time will make Thanksgiving 2020 poignantly memorable and in it’s own twisted way, special.

The leftovers have been dispatched. The pies digested. The table has been cleared – roasting pans and casserole dishes scrubbed down, silverware tucked away, and linens laundered. All that remains on this holiday Monday is gratitude.

"We are grateful for
eyes that see and ponder,
for taste buds that know the sensuous pleasures of eating and drinking,
for hands that hold and touch and feel,
for ears that can delight in music and the voice of a friend,
for a nose that can smell the aroma of newly mown grass or delicious food,
and can also breathe the air that gives us life."

"We are grateful for
the treasure of loved ones
whose hearts of openness and acceptance have encouraged us to be who we are.
We are grateful for their faithfulness, for standing by us when our weaknesses stood out glaringly,
for being there when we were most in need
and for delighting with us in our good days and our joyful seasons."

"We are grateful for
the eyes of faith, for believing in the presence of God,
giving us hope in our darkest days, encouraging us to listen to our spirit’s hunger,
and reminding us to trust in the blessings of God’s presence in our most empty days."

"We are grateful for
the messengers of God - people, events, written or spoke words -
that came to us at just the right time and helped us to grow."

Joyce Rupp; May I have this Dance? ©1992 Ave Maria Press; p. 151

 

©2020 April Hoeller