Thursday, November 27, 2008

Reflections on Thanksgiving

I go to mass at 9 am every Thanksgiving. It's become a tradition I love. In fact, I'll admit that it's probably my favorite mass of the year, winning over Christmas and Easter Sunday. In part, I love the joyfulness of the music. We sing such great songs of thanks. I also love it because Father Fred says mass this day each year. He is our associate pastor who also happens to have a PhD in English. His homilies are full of references to pieces of classic literature. He provides a bit of backstory and always makes the connection between the lives of the characters and the lives of the faithful.

Today he reminded us of Grover's Corners and the words of Emily Webb, revisiting a time in her childhood after her death. She remarks to the narrator, "Do any human beings ever realize life while they live it?—every, every minute?” He encouraged us to live our lives to the fullest, and to place in our hearts today what we are most thankful for, and carry it with us every day. I did, and I will.

Here's wishing you all a wonderful Thanksgiving full of the very best things, and a reminder to enjoy every minute of it.

3 comments:

  1. Today a group of international students went to St. Paul's in London for Thanksgiving. I couldn't go because I had a three hour rehearsal for a Bach (Christmas Oratorios) concert on Sunday -- but I thought of them, and hoped it was wonderful.

    Cheers to you, Tricia, and Happy Thanksgiving!

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  2. You are right... Thanksgiving invites us to live in the very awareness you (and Father Fred) talked about in your blog. I've been thinking about your Lune challenge and tonight recited the one I wrote two nights ago. It says every thing about what Thanksgiving has meant to me this year.

    Goodnight Lune

    Just back from Iraq tonight,
    My own Ferdinand
    Smells his new baby's hair.

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  3. Thanks for posting this, Tricia. I'm also a Thanksgiving service regular--leaving the family behind to cook and watch parades while I go for some soul time. I appreciate Father Fred's reference too, and am grateful for ALL the sacred stories in our lives.

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