Joy, contentment, and thankfulness

From The Pastor’s Desk

When I was younger, my grandmother’s house was quite literally “over the river and through the woods.” Heading over for Thanksgiving meant crossing field, forest, and stream in order to join our gathered family. That journey, from Connecticut to Rhode Island, became as much a part of the tradition as the turkey and cranberry sauce.

Journeys, however brief, offer us a new way of looking at our lives. The trials we face -those as mundane as needing to find a gas station, or as disastrous as a broken-down car- can make us more appreciative of the welcome we receive when we arrive. They remind us of our purpose in setting out, and the joys that await us at journey’s end.

The end of our journey to Thanksgiving always ended in my Grandmother’s kitchen. There we would be greeted with hugs and kisses, the warmth of the woodstove filling the house, and the scents of the meal hanging in the air. As a child, this was one of my first understandings of what it meant to be content, and to be thankful.

This month whether you travel to be with family and friends, or if you find your own home the destination for loved ones, I pray that you will have the chance to experience a time of joy, contentment, and thankfulness. May the God who so richly blesses our lives be with each one of you as you celebrate.

— Pastor Jon