To be thankful..for, What? Who? Where? The world is not a fair place. There are the haves too much, has enough, has not and those who have nothing. Every day I visit a place where people are biding their time. They have reached a ripe old age...is age ripe? I do believe it can be, but I also have seen it not be.

As I look back over this year, I vaguely remember seeing faces, hugging people, visiting people, singing as loud as I wanted, and I did not realize what gifts those were. This year has taught us hard lessons, exposed our tendency to take things and people and places for granted. We have seen violence, fire, hate and shreds of hope. Our comfort zones have been challenged, or trampled, or left for dead.

It takes a commitment to hope, to not get sucked into the conflicting doomsayers of this time. It takes courage to keep breathing in the midst of so much grief and confusion.

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Is the future bleak? It might be...a look back at history tells us it definitely could be. A look back at history will also reveal individuals and communities who continued to share whatever dim light they possessed in the midst of historical darkness. In history we will find communities, saints, teachers, scientists who continued to pursue faith in yet unseen solutions and remedies. They did not believe the impossible tasks before them were impossible. May we join them this season from our own place in time and continue to believe that there are possibilities in the midst of our current chaos.

Wishing you the spirit and the practice of Thanksgiving!