Then and Now

Two festive thoughts this week.

The first, in relation to the American holiday of thanksgiving, comes from a superb novel I'm currently reading by Uni Mc Cormack.

"Antok was yawning and doodling through yet another committee meeting, when her mind soon wandered back to the previous evening with her family. Her sketches were of candles, she realised, and she felt warmth - happiness - suffuse her whole body.
The coziness of their home and the beauty of the little ceremony and sharing the sweet cakes...
how blessed she was and how grateful.

How different life was these days. How much it promised for her children".

The story continues with a reflection on how things had been so much worse such a short time before, so thankfulness seemed so right, even though she lived in the midst of a culture that was predominantly secular (Enigma Tales).

Certainly something to mull over as we celebrate or give thanks over the next month.

What are we grateful for, and to whom?
Certainly, there's those who have loved us, but is that love itself not an expression or reflection of something greater?

Which brings me to my second offering, from The Chosen, their pilot episode entitled The Shepherd.

Enjoy as this magical time of year begins.