From the Rector…
I like to keep a gratitude journal in which every night I list those things I have experienced in the day that I am most thankful for. The list never explicitly names God because, for me, the list is always about those things which have made God manifest to me in various ways. As we approach Thanksgiving Day, I wanted to reflect on my top ten list of things I am thankful for this Thanksgiving.
10. The sounds of landscaping crews—I live in the middle of Old Cloverdale where there is not a lot of wildlife to wake you up in the morning. Occasionally I might hear the sounds of birds chattering outside my window in the early morning, but more likely I hear lawn mowers and leaf blowers. It breaks the stillness and offers me motivation—if they can be this productive in the morning, I can get my lazy self up and going too. Plus, it has the added bonus that if the rapture happened while I was asleep, I was not the only one left behind.
9. Bathrooms—Where else would I find the time to peruse all my social media accounts? Nothing says “good morning” like a dog video on TikTok!
8. Complaints—Sometimes I think my life is too perfect and then I get a text or an email that immediately brings me back to earth. My favorites are the ones regarding the bells on Sunday mornings that wake up the neighbors or that we are reading scripture too loud outside at Morning Prayer. I get it. Who wants to hear about God smiting the Israelites’ enemies on a Tuesday morning when you are already dealing with the guilt of not attending church on Sunday?
7. Water—The kind you drink, the kind you take a bath in, the kind you swim in, the water of baptism—I am thankful for all kinds of water except maybe swift flowing water that doesn’t know its boundaries and floods people’s homes and washes away their lives—I don’t know that I am as thankful for that kind of water.
6. Recovery—Though I am not fond of natural disasters, I am grateful for people who help other people.
5. Curiosity—Basset hounds are naturally curious dogs. The Tweedles, Archie and Petunia (my basset hounds), temper their curiosity with their timidity. They love to discover new things but at the same time are terrified of anything new. The first time I showed them an empty toilet paper roll you would think I was pointing a revolver at them. Cuthbert, the golden retriever, came by and took it straight out of my hands without hesitation, which made the bassets all the more curious until they bullied it out of Cutty’s mouth and proceeded to tear it to pieces. Now they hunt for toilet paper tubes in every bathroom. It’s adorable.
4. Kind words—We all need to hear them and, even more, we all need to speak them.
3. Hallmark Christmas movies—I have actually never watched one, but I really appreciate how much Drew loves them.
2. Ascension—I can’t even begin to express how grateful I am for this church, its people, and our mission and ministry. I am always amazed at how I get to live out God’s call to me with all of you.
1. Steve and my family—We don’t always agree, hold the same beliefs and values, or even have all the same interests which makes me even more grateful, as they are always stretching me and helping me to grow by examining my own beliefs and values, offering me new and varied perspectives, and helping me to break out of my own limited thinking even if and when, agreeing with them would make us both wrong. Most especially, I am grateful for their love of me regardless as to whether or not I deserve it.
That’s my list. I would love to hear yours. Feel free to share with me at [email protected] and have a Happy Thanksgiving!
Light and Life,
Candice+