“The true price of anything you do is the amount of time you exchange for it.”
Henry David Thoreau, Walden
The cool northern breeze, however brief of late, reminds me that soon fall and winter will sweep into life. Daylight is growing shorter as the earth spins the sun below the equator and another year into memory as the two busiest holidays approach. Halloween, All Hallow’s Eve, Day of the Dead, All Saints Day, provide a moment of pause to remember the significant ones, loved ones, and moments: grace, wisdom, love, life lessons, hard conversations, and people on whose work and living provide me (us) opportunities for which I (we) can never say thank you, enough. As I’ve done in the past I invite you to ponder:
Are you a good steward of your experience?
When we where children my mother required my sister and me to write a list of people and situations for which we were thankful this past year. This task kept us out of her hair on Thanksgiving morning, but it was more than busy work. It was mother’s way of teaching gratitude and reflection. The other instruction: fill the blank page you are given no matter how long it takes. Sometimes we shared names and moments from our list. Names spoken through tears. Moments spoken of between belly laughs. The metaphor of life lessons shared.
“You know, it’s like . . .”
Here is some space for you to ponder and create a list. It might help you determine how you will covenant to participate in your congregation or the Region next year. You are a blessing.
Peace . . .
Michael
