Dear Friends,

When I stop and think about what I am thankful for, relationships are what come to mind.  Specifically, my relationships with many of you have been a blessing for me this past year.  Some of you I’ve never met.  Some of you I see often.  Either way, you’re on my heart and in my prayers throughout my days.

I am also deeply thankful for the relationship I have with the one who created me and loves me and wants the best for me.  God created you and loves you and wants the best for you, too.  What a gift we are given, the taste of radical, unconditional love that is ours because we are created, loved beings in the world.

Not everyone feels this love all the time.  There are a lot of things that can happen to us to make us feel alone or sad or afraid.  This is the truth of living.

So it is up to us, friends, to pay attention, offer compassion, and be the embodiment of God’s Shalom.  We take our cues from Jesus Christ, the one who embodied God and who lived and loved so much he lost his life.

Who around you is in need? Maybe it is obvious but often it is not.  When we apply the skill of listening to those with whom we come in contact, we learn that everyone has something they need – comfort, food, hope, a home, a job, a way forward.

Let’s be that for each other.  On this Thanksgiving, let’s commit to loving one another and joining in God’s great work in the world by reaching out beyond ourselves and our comfort zones.

God, where will your Spirit lead today?
Help us be fully awake and ready to respond.
Grant us courage to risk something new
And become a blessing of your love and peace.

So be it.

Happy Thanksgiving.

Love,
Shandra
President, RMMC