Thanksgiving

Thanks be to God!  

Is it difficult to be grateful during this pandemic? Or is the pandemic bringing your gratitude to the fore?  

Sometimes when we miss someone or something, their absence makes us more aware of our blessings. The most obvious example of this might be our family. When we can’t travel to be together, we realize how important family is to us. Getting together on ZOOM or FaceTime is a welcome alternative, but there is no substitute for being together in person - for the hugs, and the kisses, the sitting in close proximity and being able to really take in your loved one’s expressions. And even the smell. I love the way my sons smell!  

Gratitude is both a feeling and a practice.  

If we don’t feel gratitude, and only the pain of separation, we can practise building up our muscle of gratitude. But it takes discipline.  

For example, every day you might hold a dropper full of water over a beautiful little bowl and as you squeeze the water out drop by drop, you say out loud the name of a person, dead or alive, for whom you are grateful. Refill the dropper if needed. And there, in your beautiful little bowl, is the expression of gratitude for all the people who have come into your life to journey with you, to love you, to care for you. And for you to love and care for. And then you might think of one person to pray for, to bring them into your mind and surround them with light and love, praying for their well-being.  And after this, you might like to send them a note, an email and a text, just to express your appreciation for them.  

Day by day, you practice this and you will discover that your perspective starts changing. Even though the people you love are not nearby or available in person, you are spending time with them and giving thanks for their presence in your life. You are drawing in their love and expressing your love for them. And you grow in the realization of how God expresses love for you through the presence of the people in your life.  

Another practice is to get a beautiful little book that every evening before you go to bed you write in.  You spend a few quiet moments reflecting on your day and then writing down, 3 things, 3 experiences that you are grateful for. In this way, you put the light in front of the dark. You train your focus on your blessings instead of the troubling aspects of the pandemic and your situation in it. And you have a written record to reflect back on. And again, your perspective will begin to change. You will become more adept at noticing all the ways God is speaking to you, in love, during each and every day.  

In these ways, and so many other ways of focusing on gratitude for the blessings in our lives, our way of living changes. We are more open to receiving God’s blessings and more motivated to share that sense of blessing with others.  

One more important thing to attend to as the pandemic continues and the days grow shorter and colder, is to minimize our exposure to the news. “The news” is one way of observing what is going on in the world. One way. And we need to keep abreast of this one way of reporting. But so much more is going on in the world than what makes it onto the 6pm news. This is, of course, obvious. But when we expose ourselves to the well-crafted, mesmerizing media, we can easily be persuaded that this one perspective reflects the reality of the world.

There is so much good news in the world. The kind of news that doesn’t make it onto the radio or TV or other platforms. It doesn’t sell. It doesn’t stimulate the adrenaline rush we have become addicted to.  

The good news is the steady work of individuals working to become more aware of their influence on others, praying to become people of peace, thinking of ways to support others. This is the work that keeps families together, neighbourhoods strong and healthy, that builds up community instead of tearing it down. This is the work that goes on behind the scenes, that doesn’t make the news. The charities that reach out to the less fortunate around the world, the work that gives our lives meaning. The pursuit of love over profit.  

There are so many wonderful videos on YouTube, Netflix and Kanopy that can inspire us, educate us and help us see the world in a different light. These shows build our hopes and dreams up. We can share links and titles here in the NOTICES every week to encourage each other.  

And of course, the best good news is in the bible, and in books that reflect on the teachings from the bible. Our library here at church is full of great reads. Ask Trefor for help finding a book if you don’t know where to look.  

Lastly, I just want to say how grateful I am for this community of St. Mary’s. For my family away from home. For the support you have given me this past year and a half, for the love and encouragement you show me. I am one lucky duck. I feel very blessed. And hope each one of you does as well.  

God bless you, Happy Thanksgiving!
Selinde  

PS:  Another thing to be thankful for is that we are able to sing now, with our masks on. We are starting out slow with a final hymn and the sung parts of the Eucharist. We’ll be adding more hymns in each week.  Sing glory to God!!