Happy Thanksgiving!

The months of May and October need to be duplicated each year in our part of the world, perhaps in exchange for March and November. May is the month of spring flowers and, according to Albert Camus,  

"Autumn is a second spring where every leaf is a flower".

The local fall colour is spectacular this year. For the past decade or more, I have gone to a nearby park each Thanksgiving weekend to watch the sun as it rises over the Grand River. It is important to arrive at least thirty minutes before sunrise as the dawn sky is often brilliant before the sun appears. Each year the skies and trees are a little different. This is the first year there was no mist over the river valley as there was some cloud cover and a breeze was present. 

I love to talk to the people who come to the lookout to see this spectacle. This year there was a man who came with his elderly parents. His father could barely walk with canes but the son helped him find a good vantage point where he could sit and rest. A couple of foreign students came with selfie sticks and a middle-aged lady set up a tripod and camera, collecting dozens of photos. Another person stood and quietly recited prayers. I am always in good company here.

White-throated Sparrow

I stepped out on the back deck this morning and noticed a flock of sparrows on the lawn. I figured they were the usual House Sparrows but then heard the distinctive song of the White-throated Sparrow singing "O sweet Canada Canada Canada". These sparrows pass through each spring and autumn and stay for only a few days to rest and eat before continuing their migration north or south. Dark-eyed Juncos have arrived for the winter along with American Tree Sparrows. There is no need to put bird feeders out yet as the garden has plenty of seeds from flower dead-heads.

We had guests for Thanksgiving dinner for the first time since 2019. Covid-19 interrupted our usual family gatherings and it was a pleasure to visit indoors again. The fridge is bulging with leftovers! The bounty of harvest time is something we cannot take for granted in a world where drought and war have been a stark reality for far too many people. 

I read a book this weekend that is one of the best stories I have read in a long time.  Ordinary Grace: A Novel by William Kent Krueger explores themes of loss, love and redemption through the eyes of a thirteen year old son of a Methodist preacher. (Sadly, this book is unlikely to find it way to a church library shelf due to some language but it is better than 99% of "Christian" novels). 

The father preaches at his own daughter's funeral and says,

"For each of us, the sun sets and the sun also rises and, through the grace of our Lord, we can endure our own dark night and rise to the dawning of a new day and rejoice.

Thanksgiving is an attitude that is not based solely on current circumstances. It acknowledges the blessings and sorrows of each day and maintains hope for grace and beauty in the future.