‘It is Good to Give Thanks to God’ – Happy Thanksgiving from Loretto!

It is good to give thanks to our God, to sing praise to God’s name; to proclaim God’s love in the morning and God’s faithfulness at night.

Ps.92:1

What are you “paying attention” to these days? Gratitude arises from paying attention to those with whom you work and live. Are you paying attention as you pray? Did you remember beauty from a recent trip? Did you make that phone call to a family member that was promised? Has the TV news from Florida or Ukraine or Africa’s children in peril moved your mind and heart to respond? Have you had quiet time you cherish after work? “It is good to give thanks to our God…”

As we enter Thanksgiving week, we prepare to sit around a festive table with family and friends, delicious food and drinks and enjoy each other’s company. At dinner many families and or friends take turns sharing what they are most thankful for. It’s a beautiful practice to kick off our holiday season – to ground ourselves in the most important things in our lives and ignite the spirit of gratitude in our hearts.

I Am the Way, the constitutions of the Sisters of Loretto, reminds us all: “Our faith, our dedication, our community life, our mission – all are meant to constitute a single gift of praise and thanksgiving to the One who freely loves us all.” (#42)

We often hear “count your blessings.” Better yet, write them down. Not enough paper? Good for you! You can give thanks with this thought from the Quakers: “We give thanks to our God for unknown blessings already on the way.”

Thought for the week: Pay attention! And Happy Thanksgiving from Loretto!