Modified slightly from original post-Thanksgiving article,
written for P-Pep! column and published in the Southwestern Ontario newspaper, The Guide-Advocate – October 17, 2013.
How was your Thanksgiving weekend?
Sweet . . . or bitter? Perhaps bittersweet?
Bittersweet – I’m sure that’s a how
a friend of ours felt about hers, for while she is grateful for her wonderful
family, she cannot help but recall the sudden death of her husband two years
ago, which occurred within several days of the Thanksgiving weekend.
My wife and I enjoyed lunch and a
pleasant visit with her last week. It was evident, though – and perfectly
understandable, that a clear element of sadness surfaced, especially in view of
the approaching anniversary of her loss and the holiday weekend.
We were glad
and honoured to have known Ron and worked with him many years ago, when I was
the couple’s pastor. He was an upstanding man in the community, who was
unashamed of his Christian faith, but who quietly lived it, taking an interest
in people and performing deeds of kindness, without fanfare, behind the scenes.
It’s mostly since his death that I’ve learned more about how active he’d been
in this way.
I look back to a particular day
before the Thanksgiving weekend in which I experienced a great sense of what I’ll
call ‘heart-swell.’ It happened when May and I took an hour out of a busy
flurry and went for a walk on a community trail by the golfing greens;
something we’d done less of this year. It was an absolutely glorious fall day.
A brilliant sun lit up the goldenrod, and purples, whites and yellows of
wayside flowers, contrasted by beige and brown of broad-leafed tall grass and
bulrushes. Acres of golfing greens flanked the open areas, and in places we
swished our way through fallen leaves and enjoyed the music of creek waters
singing through rapids.
My private sentiments on that walk
were similar to those I expressed in a recent article, about how I’d wished
that everyone on the globe were blessed with the beauty and tranquillity that I
enjoyed at that moment. On our trail walk I breathed in deeply and thanked God
for sight and hearing and the ability to be out enjoying these wonders. I also
spared a thought for those who lack those faculties.
The heart-swell included my sister
Marg and her husband’s safe return from the UK, and also relief that our recent
musical stint at a church’s anniversary service went well, and that our voices
held out so we could fulfil that commitment. Gratitude for many more blessings
of everyday life, of family members and friends, and of our community and
country flooded my heart and mind. Nature’s beauty has a capacity for elevating
wonder and intensifying appreciation.
What stands out as you reflect on the fall season thus far
and your Thanksgiving weekend? Your heart aches for someone who passed away
since last year or one now living too distant to journey home? A relational
difficulty’s left an empty chair? I hope you experienced some heart-swell too.
Making a modest contribution of items towards a local food bank is a simple and
effective way for expressing gratitude, and that connects you to other people’s
lives and homes, even if you don’t know them.
David expresses heart-swell in numerous psalms. For example: “O
Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your
glory above the heavens. From the lips of children and infants you have
ordained praise . . .” (from Psalm 8:1-2a).
May heart-swell prompt heart-felt praise from our lips as
children of God.
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Peter A. Black is a
freelance writer in Southwestern Ontario, and is author of “Parables from the
Pond” – a children's / family book (mildly educational, inspirational in
orientation, character reinforcing). (Finalist -- Word Alive Press ISBN 1897373-21-X)His inspirational column, P-Pep! appears weekly in The Guide-Advocate. His articles have appeared in 50 Plus Contact and testimony, and several newspapers in Ontario. Peter’s current book project comprises a collection of 52 column articles.
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