For Christians, Holy Week, the seven days before Easter, is a time for serious reflection, contemplation, for being still, and grappling with the full meaning of what is about to transpire. For those who don’t celebrate Easter, it’s just another week and nothing to get worked up about.
“In everything, give thanks.” These four simple words from 1 Thessalonians 5:18 speak volumes, especially as we pause to give thanks for our blessings. This is National Family Week and as we celebrate Thanksgiving and the beginning of the official Christmas season, let’s begin at the beginning.
February, as the shortest month of the year, seemed to evaporate right in front of me. Perhaps I was too busy celebrating the gorgeous snow and unseasonably warm/cold temperatures to notice that it’s already March and the relationship between my To Do List and its cousin, Already Done and Conquered List, is showing signs of neglect.
Today I am alive and breathing. I am aware that I am breathing, and today I fully understand what a miracle that is. I’ve meant to be living just for today, but I suspect I have been anxious about Covid-19, about work, about my health, about my family’s health, world peace, the state of national and local affairs—the list goes on.
This Thanksgiving I have more reasons than I can count to be thankful. I try to live triumphantly every day, but this year has been filled with a tad more adventure and activity than I would’ve ordered in a given year. As November began, I warned that I would be celebrating my birthday all month and that is still my intention though my official 65th birthday has come and gone.
You already know that celebrating my birthday is one of the reasons I love November so much, however, this month is full of reasons to celebrate—Veterans Day, All Saints Day, World Kindness Day– and one of my favorite, but oft overlooked crown jewels is Thanksgiving.
