In Thanksgiving

Everyday but especially on this day in the United States I give thanks, first and always to God, for the Eucharist, which means Thanksgiving. I give thanks for everything, for all things of Creation work for the good for those who love God. There is nothing we have family, friends, food, homes, etc that was not given to us by God's grace.

I started the day at church, a beautiful event of song and praising God. I also volunteered at a home for the aged, what a grace and blessing this was to me. Visiting people, hearing their individual stories, some broke my heart and some warmed my heart, but all filled my heart with love. Mighty love for in their faces, I saw our God's face. Especially with the ones no came to visit or the ones who had so much pain in their lives that when they spoke tears came out of their eyes. Each person there was like a song and they gracious sang it to me, the songs of their lives on earth. I listen carefully to each note hit by them and followed the melody and rhythm ... their tempo changed for each stanza sung. I was captivated by the tunes I realized that we are a rhapsody, a concert before the Lord, our lives being our instruments. The ones to whom I spoke with who had great faith in life were the ones whose songs were sung in perfect pitch even when they came to the low notes in life, they were able to maintain their song without a crack or flat note. To them all, (as I would do at a concert), I stand up and say BRAVO, well done, they all deserve a standing ovation...

On this day I met a woman who is blind and she taught to me to see clearer with eyes of faith. I met a woman who was raped and forced to marry the man who did this to her, she was married for 45 years and he cheated on her the whole time he was alive; she told me she never forgave him or learned to love him. Going on to say but she always knew God loved her and so she always gave her problems and inability to forgive to God. This woman taught me God's mighty power to carry you through deep darkness in life. I met another who just wanted me to hold her hand and sit next to her for awhile, which taught me we need to lend a hand to others. I met a man who was a childhood friend of Frank Sinatra and this taught me the value of friendship, for Mr. Sinatra always kept up his friendship with this man. I learned the joy in doing what you like to do, in the jokes and laughter shared with the people who worked at this facility.

And I learned as I always do when you reach out to help someone else, it always ends up that they have helped you more, for on this day I left this nursing home with joy and gratitude in my heart to God for allowing me the grace to be with his people, my brothers and sisters in the kingdom of God.

And I end with this final comment which, is always a true statement... "God will never be outdone"... As the residents of this home were eating I sat at the table of one who no came to visit, to keep her company. Half way through the meal she told me she was of Native American Indian descent. Upon hearing this I said ,Wow, this is like the first Thanksgiving I am being honored to sit with a Native American ... so on this day I was given the fellowship of a "real" American, an original, just like history tells us was done at the beginning of this country. To top that off as everyone in the room was eating outside the window a wild turkey walked by and everyone laughed and cheered this turkey on for making it through the day... Which, upon further thought is a good prayer for me... please Dear God, just let this turkey (me) make it through the day...