Daylight Savings happened several days ago. Mornings are bright, evenings are not. For months we had temperatures rise to and go beyond 100 degrees with no rain in sight. Summer never seemed to end. Then in one day the temperature dropped 20 degrees in a few hours and it is suddenly Autumn. It rained, the leaves have turned to many glorious colors, and yes, our nights and early mornings are very cool while midday is sunny and amazing.

November is the month of gratitude. On Sunday, November 3rd, my church celebrated All Saints Day. We met at our outdoor sanctuary, the Earth and All the Stars Chapel. During the Sunday School hour, the children and adults painted hand-made markers with names of loved ones gone before us.  We then placed them around the ground surrounding us all. Then during the ceremony we listened to the reading of the Necrology.  There was a slight breeze; the sunbeams danced between the tall pine trees; and there was a hush felt as we listened to Fr. Jason and Dea. Jay call out the names. Grateful, I am that everyone could share this beautiful time as a community.

In a few months I will be beginning a new decade, my seventh, and quite honestly I don’t feel any different than I did the last six decades.  Well, sort of. There are some aches and pains, some wrinkles and changes in skin color, but for the most part, I’m as healthy as I can be for a woman my age. My doctor gave me a clean bill of health, along with my annual flu shot a few months ago, and I can’t complain about a thing. So I am grateful to stay the course and continue to live forever.

Recently, a friend from over 20 years ago, sent me a message on Facebook that she had read Matthew 5:16 and thought of me: “Let your light to shine before men, that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” She went on to say, “You exemplify this verse BEAUTIFULLY and I am very fortunate to have met you!” To which I responded thanking her and suggesting she sent this message to others, but that I too felt fortunate to have met her.  But she followed up with saying, “No, Pris, I sent it only to you. I remember asking you once how you managed always to be so positive and you replied that you were going to live forever. I could have imagined the conversation, I suppose, but it was a pivotal moment for me and one I have never forgotten.” How grateful I am this friend from so long ago reached out to me and shared this message. My response was Thank You.

As this month continues I’m sure I will be blessed with more bits and pieces of gratitude. Tomorrow I will spend the morning with Emery Kate’s third grade class chaperoning a field trip to Rock City. Four little girls and one young man will be under my charge. Then on Saturday, I have the honor and privilege to walk in the Chattanooga Autism Center’s Annual WALK with our very own TEAM LEXI to which we are so grateful for family and friends donating to this important fundraiser.  On Monday, Emery Kate will be singing at the Veterans Day ceremony to which I will be attending while Mark is in Marietta at Hayden’s last time to sing and walk the halls of his school with his grandfather.

Wednesday next week I have two reasons to be grateful, one is a Local School Goverance Meeting at Lexi’s school, a position I was elected to by other parents and grandparents, and then I am helping a sweet friend and others she has invited to learn to make quilted ornaments.  We have reserved a room at the Catoosa County Library and are having so much fun. Finally, we will spend Thanksgiving in Jackson, MS with Mark’s sister and her husband Bob, who is recovering from heart surgery.  Grateful that the surgery is a success and that he is on the mend and very excited we are coming to visit. A wood fire buring, a new puppy jumping on our laps, rocking on the front porch under a warm blanket and telling old stories. I love November!

I end with a quote from Miester Eckhart: “If the only prayer you say in your entire life is, ‘Thank You,’ that would suffice.”

THANK YOU