Giving Thanks

 Today is Thanksgiving - my 56th one.  Given the events of the past two years, it's a lot to process, and the question posed is "what am I thankful for?"  That sounds like an odd question, but again, it's the complexities of life.  It seems like challenges and things to be thankful for often go hand-in-hand in all honesty, and unless you can really focus on thanksgiving, you can miss it.  There are always things to be thankful for, and in all honesty there is a lot - despite the past couple of years, I have a decent job making a decent salary, I have a place to live, I have my bills paid, and my health (while not perfect) is generally good.  Of course, this is where the complexity comes in, because often those things come at a cost as well, and lately I have been feeling that cost - I am almost burned out from work, and I am currently trying to find a better home because where I live now in inner-city Baltimore is not the ideal place to live.  But, even in that I am thankful - we have been generally safe from criminals here, and I am getting a much-deserved 5-day holiday off which I needed desperately as well.  And, I know God - not as well as I should, but I maintain living in his grace on a daily basis, and that is worth being thankful for.  The ultimate thanksgiving is in the gift God gave of himself in Jesus Christ, who was sent to redeem us from original sin and give us eternal life (John 3:16).  And, in a sacramental dimension, we receive him at every Mass as well, which is why the Greek word Eucharist also literally translates "Thanksgiving."  That reminds us that the most important Thanksgiving meal is not a delicious turkey and stuffing (as good as that is) but rather the offering of God Himself for us because he loves us.  That too should make us, as practicing Catholics, thankful as well. 

While the topic of Thanksgiving is a noble one and worthy of reflection, I also wanted to relate some things that happened this past week.  It seems as if we have had some major changes at work - some of my colleagues have left to pursue other things, and in all honesty I cannot blame them because underlying issues do exist in my place of work.  The aftermath of a couple of exits may present me with what I consider both an opportunity and a challenge that I will talk about later, as it may be a huge step for me.  It is both good and scary at the same time, but I think the wisest course of action at this point is to just wait and see what happens.  Then, once I know something more specifically, I will be at liberty to talk about it. 

I am feeling somewhat refreshed the past couple of days, as I did receive some much-needed rest, and that is something I am definitely thankful for too.  As mentioned, things have been a bit chaotic on many fronts recently, and I needed to decompress a bit so I can refocus and get back on track with where I need to be.  Some of the Drechschloff that has been life recently is teetering on a revelation of some sort, and there is something I am starting to feel about an imminent change of some sort coming - I cannot shake the feeling in all honesty, because it is just there.  Usually, when I feel like that, something is in the works, so we will see what it is.  I do continue to ask for your prayers for me though, as there is a lot to sort out, decisions to make, and sense to be made of some circumstances in my life right now.  There are a couple of major decisions I have come to and I am seeking direction as to how to proceed with those.  I am not at liberty to say a lot right now, as I am not totally sure of a lot of things myself, but I will share as a sort of retrospective once things start to fall into place.  I also need to remember something I heard some years back too - with God, things never fall apart, but they fall into place.  Also, as my late mentor Fr. Eusebius said, man's disappointments are God's appointments.  Where I am at in life now is no accident, and I don't think it is a mistake either - but at the present time it is hard to see the bigger picture sometimes.  I trust that picture will soon come into focus for me though, and that is my personal prayer as well.

To circle back around, Thanksgiving is a day to remember what you have instead of focusing on what you don't have, and in doing so we need to have gratitude.  Even in the most chaotic of circumstances, there are blessings to be seen, and that is something I have to remind myself of every day as well.  And, if you take anything away from this, hopefully you can remind yourself of that as well.   Thanks for allowing me to share, and have a blessed day celebrating with your families.