Thanksgiving Reflection

On Thanksgiving Day, I am grateful for returning- for the cycles of seasons, holidays, and holy days that bring me round again to a place of peace.  Like all years, my heart is full with the love of family and friends, and all the many blessings in my life.  But this year my heart is also full of a wider awareness.  As I climbed Mount Beacon alone in the early morning hours, my footsteps echoed with the struggles of many others in their walks, the particulars of each story in every prayer, in every breath.  And as I stood at the peak, I was encompassed by the largeness of all that is--looking out on a world that is my world, but shared by so many other lives.  I was aware that though adversity and struggles continue, there is an underlying peace and presence that holds me- holds all of us- and I am whole.

Up until that point I was not feeling very grateful- not really looking forward to a day of football and overeating.   But beginning the day with an early morning gratefulness climb, prayers and incense burning, and moments of pause, I move into a larger view of life.  Life at the bottom goes on, messy and broken.  My kids are chasing each other around the house when I return-- but there is love, and by the end of the day, we are lulling one another to sleep with stories and kisses. There is a car alarm going off in the street, but I am so so grateful that I am here to hear it, to tuck them into bed each night, to reflect on all these things.  

Now for many this season marks the beginning of rush...but the past few years I have experienced exactly the opposite. December is a quiet month at work, marked by contemplative days and time away.  I also manage to avoid most of the season's consumerism- buying only gifts for close family online or from local artisans, and steering clear of malls and big box stores. Instead I savor these days between Thanksgiving and New Years as a season of deeper contemplation.  Advent begins next week, and I may be more excited to begin the rituals of waiting than I am for the culminating celebration of Christmas!  These days of reflection are especially good as preparation for two services that I will be leading on Christmas Eve and Epiphany.  May they be fruitful with insight and light to share.