It is not anybody’s job to take care of us, and we should be grateful when someone does. …nobody owes us life, a living, service or love—and when we are given these, we need to be grateful.
+Rev. Ronald Rolheiser
One chief idea of my life…is the idea of taking things with gratitude and not taking things for granted.
+G.K. Chesterton
IT’S AUTUMN, that time of year when here in the USA we celebrate Thanksgiving Day and, hopefully, have developed an attitude of gratitude as we move along in life and as we reflect on what is really important for ourselves, our families, our friends, and the world in which we live.
Is it my imagination, or are things getting more and more challenging on planet Earth? We have heard about, believed, and/or denied climate change for some time now. As I look at what has taken place in our world since the last time I wrote an article for this newspaper, I find myself totally agreeing with the wisdom of G.K. Chesterton, quoted above. Indeed, taking the events that have happened lately with gratitude makes me realize that nothing should be taken for granted. I have a friend who reminds me often that “all is gift!”
“Easy for you to say,” as I see the ravages of war, racism, hurricanes, tornadoes, and the possibility of the use of nuclear weapons in a world that seems to be struggling to be the peaceful, kind, compassionate place many of us would like to live in. This is where the wisdom of Father Ron Rolheiser seems to come into play in our world. Realizing that “nobody owes us life, a living, service or love” perhaps takes the burden of expectations off our shoulders, and we can become grateful for what we do have rather than complaining about what we don’t have. Think about it.
I find myself in tears as I watch what the people on the East Coast of our country have endured and are still enduring even as I write this article. I’m wondering how much more they can take and how much more can we reach out to them with what we do have to share with them. For my part as an elder who has been living a life more blessed than I ever expected, I can only express my sorrow and compassion to those suffering these terrible things with a promise of prayers and participating in whatever outreach is being done right here where I live—donating money or needed goods, and supporting those who can actually physically go to help those in need.
As I consider the state of our world this November, I highly suggest that we take seriously the need we have for gratitude because we have been given so much. Perhaps we have been given so much just so we can share it with others.
I invite you to reflect this Thanksgiving Day (and after) on these words of wisdom from Melody Beattie: Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow. You are in my thoughts and prayers. May you and your family and friends enjoy the gift of a happy Thanksgiving!
Sister Mary Thill is a Sylvania Franciscan Sister. She can be reached at mthill@sistersosf.org. ✲
