Time for Thanks

Thanksgiving has come and gone - it was hard to be thankful for the weather here on the prairies where it seemed we were going to skip right over fall directly into winter. It's just one more lesson that we can't just expect gratitude to be based on the externals around us - gratitude is an intention of the heart.

I have a copy of a prayer in my office that keeps me grounded - I'm not sure where I picked it up or who the author is (if you know, please enlighten me). I thought I would share it with you on this day after Thanksgiving:

Expressing Gratitude: Communal Prayer

Gracious God, in the busy-ness of our days, we forget to
thank you for all that is good in life.
Our blessings are many and our hearts filled
with gratefulness
for the gift of living,
for the ability to love and be loved,
for opportunities to see the everyday wonders of creation,
for sleep
for water,
for a mind that thinks
for a body that feels.
Thank you, too, for things in our lives
that are disappointments.
Things that seem challenging, unfair, or difficult.
Times when my heart feels stretched and empty,
and pools of tears form in my weary eyes.
Still we join in gratitude that you are as near to us
as our next breath.
In the midst of turbulence, we are growing and learning.
In the silence,
we give thanks for unconditional and eternal love.
Amen.