GIVING THANKS
A few days ago, I had a very interesting discussion with an elderly man, a hospital patient who was deeply saddened at being bedridden for many weeks. To cheer him up, I asked him what might be some positive things…
Category Gratitude
BLESSED THANKSGIVING
In Mary Jo Leddy’s book Radical Gratitude, she introduces the following phrase for reflection: “It would be enough if….” This is a wonderful way to fall into a spirit of gratitude. It would be enough if I owned a house…
2 THANKSGIVING PRAYERS
I offer you on this day of bounty not one, but two thanksgiving prayers. I do this to acknowledge that we do not all approach this feast under the same set of circumstances. Some gather at the table encircled by…
A THANKSGIVING LITANY
It seems of late, at least to me, that Canadians are getting slightly less tolerant, more testy, impatient and even grumpy. I count myself as one. The pandemic with all its related woes has gone on for far too long,…
GRACE AND GRATITUDE – EVEN DURING A PANDEMIC
There have been so many heart-breaking stories over the past 18 months. Thousands of our elders in long-term care died of the virus, while countless others had to stay in their rooms alone for weeks on end. People in hospital…
THANKSGIVING
This year it’s a salamander gratitude— something found under rosy, painted stones upended on the damp bed of a dead river. It’s alive but mute, a form of life discovered to your surprise but somehow oddly soothing. Already the same…
MOMENTS OF GRACE AND GRATITUDE DURING A PANDEMIC
I once heard a talk given by Bishop Paul Andre Durocher on the topic of grace. He filled his presentation with concrete images to break this open. He told the story of a little boy in Grade 2 who was teased…