Dear Glen Morris United Church, 

I couldn’t tell you exactly why - but this week has become a time of nesting at home. Perhaps it is the change of weather or the promise of some house guests this weekend to celebrate Thanksgiving, but I have been busy cleaning, organizing, purging. The house seems full of stuff! Several neglected junk drawers needed sorting. I told myself that letting go of what is no longer needed is a gift I give myself to simplify my life and yet, somehow, I find this work exhausting. 

I think of the many stories I have heard from all of you over the years - the hard work of helping a parent downsize, your own spring cleaning projects, the garage still filled with stuff belonging to children who have long moved out. 

As I’m vacuuming, mopping, tidying I find myself wondering: should I not be walking through my home filled with gratitude for all I have? And then I wonder about my busy life, the junk drawers of my heart and mind: what should I be doing to walk through all of life filled with gratitude for what I have? 

If you’ve been feeling this same way, a little bogged down by all the ‘stuff’ that piles up in life,

Or perhaps you have found yourself with the levity and clarity of a simpler life these days, 

Or maybe something in between, 

Let us all join together in worship this weekend for a chance to celebrate Thanksgiving, to reflect on gratitude as a spiritual practice, and enjoy each other’s company!

 

Wishing you all a blessed Thanksgiving, 

Rev Michiko