I’ve been so entranced by the beauty of the fall foliage this year. It seems to me that there’s no other region of our country more clearly defined or richly blessed by the contrasts of each of the four seasons than those we have in the south. While there’s something distinctly special about all four seasons, I admire the way that fall brings its own unique certainties and semblances. For me, fall ushers in a quiet sense of peace and a more poignant gratefulness for the abundant blessings that I’ve received in my life.
I imagine that Thanksgiving and the impending arrival of winter and Christmas have as much to do with my affections for fall as anything; moments that are so profoundly infused with love, family and tradition. It seems, the older and hopefully wiser I get, the more consciously aware and more spiritually sensitive I become towards the awesome simplicity, and yet enormous complexity, of these and so many other of life’s amazing relationships and experiences. God, in His infinite wisdom, His undeniable mercy and His loving kindness; God, in all His omnipotence; designed, created, and gifted it all to us. And then, through the remarkable gift of free-will, He simply asks that we care.
What does that mean? It means that we become more aware of life and begin to cherish it more. It means that we care more about and love one another deeper, at home and around the world; our fellow human beings all over the earth. It means that we eradicate, in an inquisitive, thoughtful yet real way, the ideas of evil and hate, transforming them into ideas of clarity and charity. It means that we stop the suffering and poverty that has become a breeding ground for such hate and evil. It means that we care more about God and His will, rather than our own.
How do we do this? We do this by reflecting the grace, humility, and mercy that God has shown us. We do this by ridding our spirits of obstacles that impede us in fulfilling the purpose of our creation. Obstacles such as judgments, unkindness, untruths, prejudices, intolerances, selfishness, and greed, both in our words and our deeds. We do this by putting into action the wisdom in Gandhi’s famous quote, “Become the change you wish to see in this world.”
As I witness another change of season, dressed now in vivid tinges of amber and red, and begin to prepare our home for Thanksgiving, my heart is filled with tremendous gratefulness and a child-like excitement. In just a few short days, our house will be filled with the sights, sounds and scents of the beauty of this season. Allen and I, our five daughters, three sons-in-law, three granddaughters, my mother and step father, my brother, sister-in-law, niece and nephew will all come together to celebrate Thanksgiving, as so many families around the country will do. And while I am deeply thankful and thrilled to share this day of abundant blessings with each of them and any other family member or friend who may wish to come, it’s the two or three who are coming as guests, strangers to all but the ones who invited them, who have me just as excited.
Through the years, not just on holidays, our home has always been an open welcoming place to anyone who needs a warm meal, a safe place to sleep, or a soft place to land. It is the better side of this family and the side that Allen and I cherish most. Especially at this time of year, each year our family welcomes into our home guests who have no other place to share in the blessings of Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Eve. Their reasons for having no such place are as varied as they themselves and truly make no difference to us. There are no special requirements. Any age, any race, any religion, any need; everyone is welcome…on holidays or any other day or night one may so be in need.
This year, as we meet and welcome our guests, I pray that ours may always be a home that offers an extra seat at the table. I pray that ours will always be a home whose family remains keenly aware of and grateful for our blessings, and that we will be generous in sharing those blessings with anyone who has a need, whether spiritual, physical, material or emotional. I pray that in doing so, we always strive to reflect the face of Christ; a face of grace, humility and mercy. And finally, I pray that this Thanksgiving Day and every other day, we will always be a family open to entertaining angels, should God be so inclined to send us one.
HAPPY FALL TO YOU AND YOURS!
I imagine that Thanksgiving and the impending arrival of winter and Christmas have as much to do with my affections for fall as anything; moments that are so profoundly infused with love, family and tradition. It seems, the older and hopefully wiser I get, the more consciously aware and more spiritually sensitive I become towards the awesome simplicity, and yet enormous complexity, of these and so many other of life’s amazing relationships and experiences. God, in His infinite wisdom, His undeniable mercy and His loving kindness; God, in all His omnipotence; designed, created, and gifted it all to us. And then, through the remarkable gift of free-will, He simply asks that we care.
What does that mean? It means that we become more aware of life and begin to cherish it more. It means that we care more about and love one another deeper, at home and around the world; our fellow human beings all over the earth. It means that we eradicate, in an inquisitive, thoughtful yet real way, the ideas of evil and hate, transforming them into ideas of clarity and charity. It means that we stop the suffering and poverty that has become a breeding ground for such hate and evil. It means that we care more about God and His will, rather than our own.
How do we do this? We do this by reflecting the grace, humility, and mercy that God has shown us. We do this by ridding our spirits of obstacles that impede us in fulfilling the purpose of our creation. Obstacles such as judgments, unkindness, untruths, prejudices, intolerances, selfishness, and greed, both in our words and our deeds. We do this by putting into action the wisdom in Gandhi’s famous quote, “Become the change you wish to see in this world.”
As I witness another change of season, dressed now in vivid tinges of amber and red, and begin to prepare our home for Thanksgiving, my heart is filled with tremendous gratefulness and a child-like excitement. In just a few short days, our house will be filled with the sights, sounds and scents of the beauty of this season. Allen and I, our five daughters, three sons-in-law, three granddaughters, my mother and step father, my brother, sister-in-law, niece and nephew will all come together to celebrate Thanksgiving, as so many families around the country will do. And while I am deeply thankful and thrilled to share this day of abundant blessings with each of them and any other family member or friend who may wish to come, it’s the two or three who are coming as guests, strangers to all but the ones who invited them, who have me just as excited.
Through the years, not just on holidays, our home has always been an open welcoming place to anyone who needs a warm meal, a safe place to sleep, or a soft place to land. It is the better side of this family and the side that Allen and I cherish most. Especially at this time of year, each year our family welcomes into our home guests who have no other place to share in the blessings of Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Eve. Their reasons for having no such place are as varied as they themselves and truly make no difference to us. There are no special requirements. Any age, any race, any religion, any need; everyone is welcome…on holidays or any other day or night one may so be in need.
This year, as we meet and welcome our guests, I pray that ours may always be a home that offers an extra seat at the table. I pray that ours will always be a home whose family remains keenly aware of and grateful for our blessings, and that we will be generous in sharing those blessings with anyone who has a need, whether spiritual, physical, material or emotional. I pray that in doing so, we always strive to reflect the face of Christ; a face of grace, humility and mercy. And finally, I pray that this Thanksgiving Day and every other day, we will always be a family open to entertaining angels, should God be so inclined to send us one.
HAPPY FALL TO YOU AND YOURS!
I am blessed that you have always provided an open door policy to many interesting characters I have brought home eith me. I am surprised that you still have that policy, since I have managed to bring some of the strangest people on the universe, but I am grateful that you still do. i love you and it is reasons like this that make you the best mom I ever had.
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