Thankful for Hope

Thanksgiving is here. Can that really be?

Photo by Jed Owen on Unsplash

November is always a busy month in our family, just as it is in most folk's. We are well on our way to the end of the year and its festivities and have a slew of birthdays and all that these entail. Yes, it is a good time to be busy.

Life in the Fast Lane

This year we are focused on being prepared for what those who say they know project as a big winter. We haven't had many of those here in our small Arizona enclave. Aside from two storms, each dropping between three and four feet of white stuff at our door overnight, the snow season usually totals less than a foot, sometimes a bit more. Not so this year they say. Check with me in a few months and I'll let you know just how smart "they" are. Regardless, it is good to be prepared. We're working on it.

One thing that differentiates us from most families is the number of birthdays in the month. Six, to be exact. So yes, there is a whole lot of partying going on, most of it involving giggles, all out laughter, and other joys of celebrating life in the fast lane. And believe me, it feels like we are in the fast lane at times. We have a gaggle of kiddos and a teen in our November crowd, so there is plenty going on. Six birthdays over eight days. February must be a cold month.

Projects of Choice

I am working on a couple of personal projects as well. One of them involves changing the focus and manner of my personal journaling, which turns out to not be a small project at all. You will likely read more about that once I get a grip on it and myself. The thing about good projects is that they are bound by scope, time, and funding restraints. When none of these are present, however, it gets very interesting. Stay tuned.

The other project, which has even less clarity at this early point, is a rethinking of my reading program. As I approach the new year, I am considering themes to focus on and deciding how to allocate my reading bandwidth. This is unusual for me as I normally just read what tickles my interest in the moment. I am feeling a need/desire to be more intentional, however, thus the exercise.

Thankful for Hope

Thanksgiving is here. Can that really be? Hmmm ... the calendar says yes. The last two months are always a blur, and this year will be no different. The best football, the best turkey and trimmings, the best eggnog, the best cheer. Yes, it is a good time of year. Even this year.

All of that to say this: Despite what the world shows us every day, life is good and there is a path forward that will make it better. Hope is alive and well. Each of us must determine to search for the better that surrounds us and the better hope which lives within us, to celebrate and honor them with our attention and resolve. This is how we overcome a dark world, by being our brightest and, for the believers among us, by letting the Light that lives in us shine.

Enjoy the feast!