A Litany of Thanksgiving

We’ll celebrate Thanksgiving Day in the US next week, but it is never too early (or too late) to offer gratitude.  Giving thanks is never out of season, and rather than a once a year or occasional practice, it is (or should be) a way of life, woven into and embedded in the fabric of our moment-by-moment existence.  The Litany of Thanksgiving that follows is what I am most grateful for at the moment.  As you read, I invite you to use my words and thoughts as prompts for creating your own.

 

A Litany of Thanksgiving

For music and singing,

joyful noises and rhythmic beats,

harmony and melody, praise and lament…

… and for the musicians whose gifts of song

personally touch my heart, bring me joy,

and transport me into the presence of the Holy.


For the glory of nature:

stunning vistas, earth’s bounty,

crunching leaves, gentle rain,

rolling waves, spectacular sunsets,

blinking fireflies, crystal snowflakes…

…and for the photographers who capture

and share all these images and more.  You feed my soul.


For light that shines in the darkness and illumines our days:

the pink edge of dawn, cloudless sunny skies,

glowing candles, silver moonbeams, starlit nights…

 …and for those who offer their light to me and to our world.

  

For simple pleasures: morning coffee, afternoon tea,

walks on the beach, clean, cool water,

good books, creating and crafting…

…and time to enjoy them.


For life and all that infuses it with meaning:

holidays and Holy days, first cries and last breaths,

compassion and care, laughter and story-telling,

history and heritage, anticipation and memory,

companionship and communion…

…especially Sunday breakfasts, Thursday lunches,

and Friday night dinners.


For those who share my life and share their gifts:

family and friends, artists and poets,

writers and readers, comics and muses…

…especially my companions on this writing journey

and our Wednesday calls and Saturday afternoon gatherings.


For raw beauty, fierce determination,

brazen hope, defiant faith, relentless trust,

unbridled joy, cleansing tears.


For those who also walk “the valley of the shadow”,

whose shared experience binds my life to theirs. 

Your encouragement, love and support offer me visions

of possibility and life,

even in the face of death.

 

For redemption, reconciliation,

restoration, resolution, Resurrection.


For Sacred mystery,

unlimited grace, unparalleled peace;

for Love that will not let us go

and which companions us in all things

and through all things.


To each one of you and for each one of you, dear readers,

I offer my deepest thanks

for your companionship on this grand adventure! 


May your days be filled with blessing and gratitude,

grace and peace.