Today many of us are gathering for meals with friends and family, in order to give thanks for all the blessings in our lives and to treasure our bonds with each other. Take time to really consider how blessed you are; so much of the world is either at war or in poverty. In other countries people are dying as they struggle for freedom, or being killed for their faiths, or fighting to keep their homes safe. Many in our country are without homes, without jobs, or without loved ones to share with. So as you sit with your friends and family, in your safe home, with food set before you, give thanks. Give thanks for the home, the food, the people, how blessed you are to be in the country you live in, but most of all for God's grace unto you.

Give thanks.

And try, as personalities might start to irritate each other, to stay above quarreling. Let gentle words turn away wrath, and focus on why you love each other and gather to celebrate.

God's grace be with you,
Fr. Charles