I want to take this opportunity to give thanks. I give thanks for you, my readers, those who come to this blog regularly for some reason I still can’t comprehend and read my thoughts on what catches my fancy, thoughts I must write down to keep from exploding. Yes, even you, Todd.
I give thanks for a job that gives me great pleasure, that harnesses my God-given gifts, that gives me a sense that I’m making a difference by providing something to people that they need, not just what they want.
I give thanks for friends who humor me by laughing at my lame jokes, pretend I’m smarter than them by coming to my Bible study, and generally puff up my self-esteem. They are generous, Spirit-filled, joyful people.
I give thanks for my family, who really are my best friends, the people with whom I would rather spend time than anyone else. I especially give thanks for my nieces and nephews, who provide me a glimpse of the joys of parenthood that I have yet to actually partake myself. I love them more than anyone or anything else, and I think I can imagine what it must be like to have children of your own.
I give thanks for America, flawed as she is, but full of promise and hope. Despite what some may try to make her to be, she remains a beacon of hope and of the best principles for forming a nation gleaned from the Christian tradition. I especially give thanks for our servicemen and women, who tomorrow will spend their holiday standing upon the watchtowers of freedom, literally and figuratively, protecting us from those who would strip us of our freedom, our faith, and our lives.
I give thanks for the Church, who shows the paradox of the Incarnation by being simultaneously the spotless Bride of Christ and a gathering of flawed men and women in a communion that seeks to give God the worship due to Him. I give thanks for the humble and strong bishops who stand firm against the chaos of sin and its accommodation and give us a glimpse of the ever-living hope for the fulfilment of the Lord’s will.
Of course, I give thanks to God above all. His blessings to me far exceed that which I deserve (which is a big, fat nothing). Like a dumb puppy, I get myself into all kinds of trouble and He has always provided me with the grace to get out of it and to even learn a lesson from it. He has given me gifts that I endeavor to use for the good of His Church, however imperfectly I do so. I especially give thanks for the gift of the Blessed Mother, our Mother, whose gentle, protective mantle surrounds me and directs the grace of the Holy Spirit to aid me.
Happy Thanksgiving to all.
