Grandpa's Garden: Heartfelt Thanks

Most of the leaves have fallen from the trees in this autumnal region. It’s easier to see the sky, the stars at night, the distant woodland, and to feel the sun’s waning warmth. Seasonal changes draw us into life’s evolving rhythms, schemes of color, and declining daylight hours. We adjust our perspective on the ever-changing natural world.

A Communion of Blessings

In the U.S., we look forward to the Thanksgiving holiday with its historical roots, family traditions, and table celebration. I find the time with grandkids, children, relatives, and friends to be a profound blessing. Time goes by so quickly, yet the experience of celebration and familial community endures and sustains. Thanksgiving draws us together in a mutual affirmation of our relationship.

A Celebration of Interrelationships

The Thanksgiving table gathering and every communal table raise our awareness of our human family, calling to mind all the efforts that bring this food before us: those who plant, cultivate, harvest, transport, distribute, market, prepare, and serve. We who partake of the celebration are nourished and blessed by our Creator in collaboration with the labor of many hands.

“All your works give you thanks, LORD and your faithful bless you.” (Psalm 145:10)

Time To Reflect

In the days following the holiday, I’ll savor the conversations, the laughter, and the joy of the voices. I’ll be delighted at some of the moments I barely noticed then. I may regret not spending more time with each of the guests.

St. Ignatius of Loyola, a 16^th-century saint, mystic, and founder of the Jesuits, advised his followers to pray the Examen prayer daily. This brief recollection reviews the day and offers an opening into discovering where the Lord has been active and where we have resisted His invitation. The prayer calls for an attitude of thanksgiving. It is a way to be grateful to the Lord of my life whose Spirit speaks to me in the various daily experiences, the smallest and the most consequential. The process calls me to love more completely. (ignatianspirituality.com)

“…in the heart of each person there is a mysterious connection between self-knowledge and openness to others, between the encounter with one’s personal uniqueness and the willingness to give oneself to others.” (Pope Francis, Dilexit Nos, #18)

As we close the liturgical season and look forward to Advent, let us pray in our families with heartfelt thanksgiving to the Lord of our lives.