When last we spoke, I was on the way to this gathering. The time stamp on the photo is 10:17 a.m. My sweet South Side parish gathers to feed its lonely and indigent each holiday (Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Holy Saturday) in just this fashion. We fix food in the old school cafeteria, usually feeding about 120 people. We begin preparations on Thanksgiving and then attend Mass. This picture was taken after mass ; ).
Father John's homily was, for me, perfectly done. In it he put aside the thanks we feel for the easy stuff: good friends; loving family; hearth and home and safety. Instead he concentrated on finding thankfulness and grace in life's complications. It occurred to me that I'm thankful for this man, this priest, and that I should be thankful for the men who've come before him -- the one with a dark outlook on life, the one who rushed worship and would allow no more than one verse of any song to be sung, the one (who married Dear Husband and I btw) who was so gruff as to terrify me as a young girl. Their shortcomings allow me to better appreciate Father John's strengths.

And doesn't this just capture the fun we had Thanksgiving morning... I did kneel down to make it seem as if the cold packs full of pie and cranberry sauce and jello were tottering above these friends, and they got a huge kick out of posing for the picture.
I'm thankful for the aches and pains of aging, for the changes -- they've given me early morning baking and knitting time and they've given me empathy for those further along on the road than myself. In addition, that empathy has given me a serenity in aging that some women don't get to acquire.
After preparing the food, we packed it into trays and our husbands, wives, children, and friends arrived to deliver the fruits of our labor.
It occurs to me that this providing should remind me that however tedious the shopping, preparing, cleaning up and related minutiae of keeping a well stocked kitchen are, they are the outward sign of the blessing that is my husband and his provision for our family. I stay home and take care of us. Sometimes the laundry and the dishes seem never ending -- but they are the outward sign of our prosperity. I am thankful.
This friend is a member of our choir and a member of the small group with which I sing during Lent. His talent with a trumpet and a harmonica (and various other instruments) is humbling. It reminds me of the chance I've been given through this church to develop my own musicality.
Here are my men posing with the apple pie they baked to take to the family gathering. It was a huge hit and they absolutely baked it together. I only helped peel the apples. Daughter is missing from the picture because she's vacationing in Florida for the holiday with a friend's family.
The difficulties daughter and I have together as she passes through her teens are signs that she's growing into a woman I can admire. For the eye-rolling, stomping, loud music, and tears I am thankful. I guess ; ).
Here is Sister-in-Law (the brunette with the plate) and her son, her cousin and her cousin's children. She made a fabulous meal and the kids made the gathering so much fun. No hidden agenda here... pure joy at the little ones in my life.
Here are my In-Laws -- brothers and parents. An easy "I'm Thankful" belongs here. No one has better in-laws than I have.
My own family celebrated in Ohio and I talked to them mid-day.
I hope your day was as grace filled as mine was. Thanks, Father John, for reminding me to search for the grace not only in the good we receive, but also in what appear to be life's difficulties or drudgery. I think perhaps that therein lie some of the most precious gifts after all.