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November 19, 2000 AN ATTITUDE OF GRATITUDE I have always loved Thanksgiving Day. When I was a child, my bachelor uncle Gilbert - we simply called him Gip - would come over that morning, bringing with him a tractor with a belt that would attach to a very large circular "buzz" saw. Then, as we kids would call it, we "buzzed" wood. By noon there would be a big stack of wood cut for winter burning.
Going into the house we'd all sit down for a special meal. Mind you, being in a family of thirteen children, it was the norm to have a lot of people at the dinner table!
But this meal was different. Oh, it was the traditional turkey and home-made stuffing. (I can recall a few years when we actually butchered the turkey for the meal.) What made the day and meal special is that we set it aside as a festive occasion. We took the time to thank God for the blessings of the past year, and we'd try to share those blessings with others. Uncle Gip's presence was a firm reminder to include others in our bounty.
Setting aside one day just to thank God is necessary but not enough. God's blessings happen every day. Nevertheless, having a day to focus on God's generosity may be just what is needed to remind us to develop an "attitude of gratitude" for all the year.
November 12, 2000 BLOSSOMS IN NOVEMBER Thanks to my great grandparents who planted a large apple orchard on the farm where I grew up, I have always enjoyed apples and, even more, apple blossoms. One time, however, the blossoms were especially pleasant.
More than forty years ago when I was in elementary school, October had brought a killing frost and sustained cold weather. By November all the leaves were down, and we expected winter right around the corner. But then it warmed up, very warm, and stayed that way for a while.
One afternoon, as I was getting off the yellow school bus in front of our house, the bus driver pointed to the orchard and said, "You'll never see that again." I looked and every single tree in that orchard was in bloom! It was as if spring had come.
Of course, the trees had been fooled by the warm weather; soon the blossoms had to give way to winter. But I always think about blossoms in November. Just when the days are getting shorter, the trees becoming bare, and the sky starting to show more clouds than sun, then it is necessary to remember signs of life.
For us who believe, even when we are surrounded by darkness and depression, emptiness and discouragement, there is always hope. Even dying yields to life. And November can display apple blossoms.
IN HONOR AND MEMORY Last week I had the honor and joy of spending four days in Washington, D.C., with St. Peter's Junior High students. The seventh and eighth graders had prepared well for what was a true educational experience.
Having been in Washington before, I was surprised how much I was touched by what I saw each day, almost as if it was the first time. Especially striking were the monuments in memory of the great presidents and the memorials that honored those who had fought for the country. Both the Vietnam and Korean Memorials made me want to stay longer.
The highlight for me, however, was the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington Cemetery. We arrived in time to watch the changing of the guard. With precision and ritual matching that of a Solemn High Mass, the marines showed great honor and respect to those buried at that site...and to all other fallen military persons.
How necessary it is to remember the dead, all those we have known and those we have not. During the month of November we stop and give honor to the men and women who have lived well and passed on from this world. We thank them for the various ways in which they have made our lives richer. And we try to take with us some lessons from their living to help our lives become better.
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