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As we approach Thanksgiving Day, tomorrow, I have much to be thankful for and, therefore, consider this time of year to be a time for Gratitude. I am grateful for a deep, strong faith in God, who is always there for me. He blesses me with all that I need, and graces me with even more. I am thankful for my husband of 40+ years, and for his love; a mirror of God’s love for me. When we count our blessings our moods lift. When we realize all for which we are grateful, we come to realize that we have much. I don’t have a palace. Yet, I do have a very nice home that keeps me warm and dry in the winter, and cool in the summer. I don’t dine in fine restaurants every evening. Yet, I have enough food on the table every day, so that I do not go hungry. My clothes do not come from designer racks. Yet,they do what they need to do, and I dress just fine. I don’t need the fanciest car to make my life complete. Rather, I just need ... Read more...

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On this day before Thanksgiving, I would like to wish you, and yours, a very Happy Thanksgiving. At this time of year, we take some time to count our blessings and show our appreciation for loved ones, near and far. Giving thanks to God for all His bountiful blessings is the right thing to do. Yet, we should not reserve giving thanks to one day out of the year. Giving Thanks in Your Morning Offering God is gracious to us every day. Every morning, as we wake, the first thing we should do is give thanks for this day. You can make it part of your morning offering to God. What is a morning offering you might ask? I use the acronym ACTS to describe a morning offering. A stands for  Adoration . A simple prayer will do:  I adore you, Oh Lord . C stands for  Contrition . An  Act of Contrition  will do nicely. T stands for  Thanksgiving . This is where you count your blessings, giving thanks to God for His goodness. S stands for... Read more...

I can’t believe that another holiday season is upon us! This year just zoomed past me. Yet, I have much to be thankful for this year. On this eve of Thanksgiving, I give thanks for: Each of you, for your support and friendship. May God bless every one of you. My loving husband of 38+ years. May we have many more together. Good health for both my husband and me. We had a health scare earlier this year, but God is good, and all is well. May we all continue to be in good health. The opportunity to serve as RCIA Coordinator for my parish. What a blessing to be able to share the faith with people who really want to have a close relationship with Jesus. We have seven women going through the program, with the hope of entering into full communion with the Catholic Church at Easter. Please keep them, and me, in your prayers. A roof over my head, clothes on my back, shoes on my feet, and food on my table. God provides! Sometimes, I don’t know how He does it, but He does it! ...

(from TheBreadboxLetters.com)

An attitude of gratitude is in order as we approach Thanksgiving. We have come upon that time of year when we take stock of all that God has blessed us with and express our thanks. God’s Divine Providence is truly divine! He always meets our needs. Whenever I have a bad, stressful day, I stop and take a few minutes to itemize the things for which I am grateful to God for providing for me. Somehow, rattling off this list always changes my mood. I begin to feel uplifted instantly. The chaos in my brain falls into order. The day’s stresses seem to dissipate. That’s because... Read more...

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!  Faith, family, freedom and food are among my Thanksgiving top ten list.  What's on yours?  Read more here.

Thanks to an outbreak of the bird flu this summer, grocers across the country are warning of possible turkey shortages – fewer and smaller birds for higher prices. Luckily, the bird flu didn’t affect our region too badly, so I’m pretty sure we’ll manage to get a tasty gobbler on the table, and I’m hoping that, in the end, all of you will too – unless, of course, you opt for ham, salmon or some other palate pleasing delight. Either way, please don’t let a vain bird, or any other main dish, steal the center stage. As Catholic families, one of the best favors we can do for our kids during November is to remind them that Thanksgiving is meant above all to be a feast for the soul. Continue reading at Eyes On Heaven .

I wrote this last year.  My worst fears have come true!  Many stores are opening Thanksgiving Day. Why would you  want  to shop on Thanksgiving Day? I have never been a fan of shopping on Black Friday so I can't imagine shopping on Thanksgiving Day.  I've only gone once and that cured me forever.  I consider myself the Queen of Shopping, but I will not fight crowds in the stores or in the parking lot to score a deal.  Can you say internet? You can read the entire article at Being Catholic ... Really .

The Virgin of the Grapes , 1640s, Pierre Mignard  Musée du Louvre, Paris  [ Web Gallery of Art ] Winegrowers in France celebrated the Feast of the Nativity of Mary  as the  Feast of Our Lady of the Grape Harvest . Readings   (New American Bible: Philippines, USA) Readings   (Jerusalem Bible: Australia, England & Wales, India [optional], Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, Scotland, South Africa) Gospel   Matthew 21:33-43  ( New Revised Standard Version, Catholic Edition : Canada)  Jesus said to the chief priest and the elders of the people:   “Listen to another parable. There was a landowner who planted a vineyard, put a fence around it, dug a wine press in it, and built a watchtower. Then he leased it to tenants and went to another country.   When the harvest time had come, he sent his slaves to the tenants to collect his produce.   But the tenants seized his slaves and beat one, killed another, and stoned...

    Instructions for Parents   I recommend that you meditate on Luke 17:11-19 in your own prayer time before presenting it to your kids. If you’re not sure how to do this, look at last Thanksgiving’s meditation . Talk to the Lord about it from your heart. Ask Him to teach you to be truly grateful, and to lead your children towards thankfulness. Next, read and discuss the passage with your children. Use your favorite children’s Bible. Define any words they may not know. (I have highlighted some words in the meditation you may want to define before praying with them.) Choose one or two of the optional activities at the end of this post to help them dig deeper into the meaning of the passage. Finally, read the meditation aloud to them, pausing for several seconds to a couple of minutes after each of the first two paragraphs. Ask them to repeat the final prayer after you, sentence by sentence. This meditation works best with children ages sev...

Hello Friends! How are you? Do you have an exciting event to attend (hopefully involving sequins!) for New Year’s Eve? We are making simple plans with the kids. I’m betting they will include watching movies and lighting fireworks at midnight. : )  At the end of this year…, before consigning the days and hours to God and to his just and merciful judgment, I feel the need in my heart to raise our “thank you” to him for his love for us. Happy New Year to each of you !