Thoughtful Times...

So many ideas ramble around as the "holiday" season officially starts.  We've seen evidence of it since the end of August around here, what with stores displaying fall trappings for Thanksgiving and even hinting at Christmas before Labor Day.  What a rush we make of the days!

But here we are at the week of Thanksgiving, and those ties back to "ole days" raise lots of questions.  Who celebrated the first Thanksgiving on American shores?  Did they really eat turkey? I doubt there was dressing and gravy, and surely the pecan-sweet potato casserole was not even a dream at that point.  I teach American literature, so those controversies on exactly where and when that first Thanksgiving was noted continue to catch attention, especially as we examine what has been "re-envisioned" in history over the years.

But today--right now--I think it is a fortunate pairing that we celebrate Thanksgiving so closely paired with the day we celebrate the christian holiday of Christmas--another controversial date, but so goes custom.  Here we are, coming to a "count-your-blessings" time.  Some will have to search harder than others simply because life holds more a wealth of challenge than ease.  I had to think on that aspect on Sunday, as I sat in church and considered a simple cornucopia decoration.

So much plenty spills out onto the communion table...a place reminding us of great sacrifice and great grace.  Soon there will be a nativity scene in place and a chance to contemplate again that meaning of "blessing."  In fact, just that same day, in the evening, our church came together to begin the Christmas tradition of a chrismon tree in our sanctuary.  The ornaments are well over 30 years old, and yet even in their slightly worn shape, they bright light and grace.

I'm partial to several of them, most especially the lamb.  The abundance of them is surely a blessing--filling these large tree with a reminder of the many ways we see the Christ--the images that speak to that gift we still seek to understand.

In just two days, my girls and their families will be at home--here.  We will mix the holidays, too--setting together around a Thanksgiving table and talking of Christmas in the same hour.  These images are not just things we see but those we center deep in our lives, holding to them when moments may not be so good or filled with more questions than we want to acknowledge.

But, the season is upon us.  Be thankful.