Grateful for my spiritual community

 This morning I was able to hear our Bishop speak about love and joy.  I can't recreate his message, but it is the type of message I need every week in order to get through the week.  It was uplifting and made one feel ready to tackle whatever came at us this week and we know every week is something new.  He also praised our rector and associate rector and I am very grateful for the two of them.   They are both inspiring.  I am also grateful for a fellow church member who gave a talk on food and the Bible and the importance of meals after our 8 a.m. service with the Bishop.  His talk gave me so much to think about especially as this is the week when so many gather around a major meal on Thursday.  Again, I can't recreate his message, but I hope it might have been recorded and if so, will be shared.  And then as I was driving home, another friend texted me an article and while I have just skimmed it, I will sit down to read it more carefully later this evening.  Many of my friends know I am involved in fighting back against Christian Nationalism and if you want to know more about why, this article can give you some perspective.  And many friends my age will know excactly what he is talking about.  They're Doing to America What They Did to Christianity"The author of this article is Bill McKibben, founder of Third Act., a group focused on people over 60 who are interested in making the world a better place. And I am very grateful for his article that I hope will reach more people and continue to help us build the movement that is trying to repell the forces of hate.  As our Bishop reminded us this morning, in the words of Bishop Tutu, "love wins."

 So today I am grateful for messages of joy, love, and thoughtful perspectives to reflect on today.  I hope you all have something positive to reflect on today as we head into this week of Thanksgiving.  Namaste.