November


Reflections by the Sea © Betsy Ore Glass
October 29, 2008

Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. -Colossians 3:15-17 NIV

There is a chill in the air this week. It is to be expected for this time of year. Hard to believe that it is already November and the holidays are bearing down on us. I have always called this season, “sweater weather” and yes, I do have mine on! Right now, there is a pot of soup simmering on the back of the stove. I'll make some hot cornbread later to go with it for tonight's supper. That should warm us up! There is no mistake that winter is around the corner. Before the first frost comes, we are in a transition of color...summer flowers are putting out their last blooms of pinks, yellows and reds in harmony with the fall blooms of orange, burgundy and gold Recently, I went to a farmer's market and saw all of the fall vegetables, freshly picked and ready for sale. Rows of pumpkins sat next to pots of colorful mums. Warm Apple cider was offered in small cups. I was so grateful for the chance to go and to see the fall harvest of so many people at one time. It seems the harvest this year was bountiful and abundant for many of the vendors there. In turn, they were grateful for our purchases. It was a wonderful day to celebrate God's goodness.

In just a few weeks, it will be Thanksgiving. For several years now, we have a tradition at our Thanksgiving table. We anonymously write down three things we are grateful for and during dessert we each take one out of the basket and read it aloud. Then the fun begins when we try to decide who wrote it. There may be some that will be very serious and heartfelt in their list and others may be lighthearted and funny. We all especially love to hear what the children have to say. They often lead the example for us in the area of gratitude. They have grateful hearts for so many things. There is so much to learn from a child's simple and pure heart. It is said that to speak gratitude is courteous and pleasant. To enact gratitude is generous and noble, but to live gratitude is to touch Heaven. I am going to make an extra effort in these weeks of November to be more grateful than ever before. A heart full of gratitude cannot complain. Instead, if I am tempted to complain, I will try to find something good to give God thanks for.