Being thankful

Norman Rockwell painting - 'Being Thankful'

I join the millions of Americans today as they celebrate Thanksgiving, and here’s a list of the things I am thankful for this year:

I am thankful for my family, my siblings, nephews, sister-in-law other relatives and friends. Grateful also that my sister Josephine is now with my parents and brother, enjoying eternal life in heaven.

I am thankful for my vocation as I continue to serve my people as a priest, for the past 45 years, and celebrating many beautiful Masses and sharing many homilies which people appreciate.

I am thankful for many American friends who still keep in touch with me at least through emails, and prayerful thoughts.

I am grateful for the talents God gave me, which I use abundantly, creatively and happily.

I am thankful for my hands by which I can write around 230 invitations in calligraphy, and still consecrate the bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Jesus at Mass.

I am thankful for the opportunity to unite my nephew and his fiancée in marriage on December 4 and pray for a long happy life together.

I am thankful that I can share my gifts of music with my flute, art with my watercolors, and beauty with my photography, as well as delicious soups with my humble cooking.

I am thankful for my health, my work-a-holic schedule, my love of cold weather and the blessings of rain.

I am thankful for the copy, paste and save buttons on my laptop and iPad.

I am thankful for the gift of music, the one I create, the one I listen to, and the classical music that so many composers gave us for posterity.

I am thankful for great goals in the World Cup going on right now in Qatar, smashing homeruns in baseball and perfect touchdowns in US Football.

I am thankful for strawberries, pomegranates, Maltese oranges, all in their season, nuts and dried fruit, mince pies, with the hope that people will always remember that I don’t like chocolates and icing cakes.

I am thankful for the simple things in life, sunsets, silence, sandals, and sincerity.