The View from Here

On this Thanksgiving Day,

in this year that has seen so much suffering and strife,

I am reminded to be grateful for moments of connection,

be they through masks and squinty smiling eyes or through computer screens.

I am grateful for home and for love, still felt deeply in empty chairs around the table.

I am grateful for true friendship, a priceless gift.

I am grateful for opportunities to be tested by challenge and hopefully grow into something better.

And I am grateful for brave hope, fiercely holding on to the belief that better days are surely ahead.

I am sending out my tiny ripple of gratitude into the world,

praying it joins with the tiny ripples of others,

a constellation of humble thanks to light the path and open our hearts.