"One act of thanksgiving made when things go wrong is worth a thousand when things go well." (St. John of Avila) My children's favorite grace before meals is - (ducks and blushes from theological embarrassment) - the Johnny Appleseed song. Oh, the Lord's been good to me / And so I thank the Lord For giving me / The things I need The sun and the rain and the apple seed The Lord's been good to me Maybe you've heard it. Maybe you hate it. Maybe you, too, live with small children in the frigid north and have to substitute "snow" for "rain" six months out of the year. Whatever. We sing it. Every day. Lord, have mercy. It started when the kids were toddlers, and I figured any warbling hymn of thanks was music to God's ears. Over the years? Of course it stuck. (Anything you hope won't stick is invariably what does.) I try to limit it to lunchtime, so as to revel in a richer repertoire of church hymnody for other meals (because truly, one can only evoke Girl Scout campfire … [Read more...] about this is why we give thanks
thanksgiving
when you do not want to give thanks
It's been a hard month, hasn't it? In our small corner, it was the shock of twins. The exhaustion of early pregnancy. The darkness of morning sickness. And the upheaving of expectations. But in the wider world, it was Paris and Beirut and Syria and so many million more places where the earth is broken and blood is flowing and bullets are flying and despair is overwhelming. How do we live in a world like this? How do we go on, let alone hope? Every night before dinner our family takes turns around the table, asking each other what we want to thank God for. Sometimes I wonder if this facile practice is worth the effort. It's a harmless affirmation, I know. A chance to smile at the randomness of a preschooler's prayers or a toddler's grins. But my God. If we think about what it truly means to give thanks, it is a daunting and dangerous practice indeed. Because thanksgiving goes beyond any easy offering of what makes us happy in the moment. Thanksgiving looks straight … [Read more...] about when you do not want to give thanks
