The place I work has an employee Thanksgiving lunch each year–just a time to share and fellowship together. No one has to worry about bringing food–it’s catered in. And it’s a typical Thanksgiving meal.

But this year, the invitation read a little differently. Rather than an invitation to that “Thanksgiving” lunch, it was an invitation to a “Thanks-living” meal. Just one letter difference, but it got me thinking…

Thanksgiving is a once-a-year experience…a time when we focus on family, turkey, football…and maybe remembering to give thanks for various aspects of the past year. But once November is over, we begin to get engrossed (if we’re not already there!) with Christmas preparations, and Thanksgiving is put aside until the next year.

But Thanks-living implies a state of mind–a year-round focus. It calls me to be aware of those things on a daily basis that I am grateful for–to see with new eyes.

There is so much bad news–it’s definitely not hard to find! But positive news stories catch my eye…precisely because they seem so rare.

What would happen if I spent every day in an attitude of thanks and praise? How would I be changed? I know that a coupld of years ago, when I stopped waking up to a news station on my clock radio and began waking up to hymns / praise songs, my attitude toward starting out the day changed. I woke up looking forward to it rather than being in a down mood because of all the negativity I heard first thing in the morning.

So…as we go into the day of Thanksgiving, I’d like to challenge us all. Yes, let’s enjoy the day–the family time, the food, even the football… But let’s also decide that we’re going to do “thanks-living” year round! Wonder what that will mean for next Thanksgiving?!?

There’s a horrific case unfolding in my community this week…at the moment, six members of one family accused of sexually abusing at least some of the children of one of the family members. I have known one of the men. Not well, but attended church at times with him and his wife. And his wife works in the same place I do.

My stomach just clenches each time I hear a news person say “And now for the update on the breaking sex scandal…”. I wonder what’s coming next.

And I find myself hoping both that the story is true and that it’s not true. If it is indeed true, then children were horribly abused by individuals they should have been able to trust. And the lives some of the individuals lived as ministers were lies. But if the accusations are the result of a bitter dispute between one of the men and an ex-wife–which some are claiming–then it is also tragic, and a number of lives have been ruined. Reputations can never be recovered.

So I find myself torn…and able only to pray for healing for all involved. Whichever story is true indicates a terrible rift between family members who once loved and trusted each other–and only God can bring the healing that is so desperately needed.

In an age when the fine arts seem to be a favorite target of budget cuts, why should that bother anyone?

I can remember hearing classical music as cartoon background music when I was a kid–even though I didn’t know it. But for people of a certain age, there are some tunes that can’t be heard without seeing Bugs Bunny relaxing in the forest or Elmer Fudd with his trusty shotgun, swearing that he is going to “kill the wabbit…”

But is there any “value” to the fine arts? to classical music–and the organ–especially? Or are they just nice frills that can easily be cut with no harm?

For some folks, I think that must be true. Yet for others of us, a world without the arts is a world that in many ways is not worth living in…a drab, colorless world with nothing that nurtures the soul.

And unfortunately, it seems that the idea that fine arts aren’t really necessary has penetrated into many of our churches as well.

I understand that there are many styles of music and worship that minister to different people. In fact, I attend an outreach congregation that regularly uses bands in worship…..except that once a month, I am asked to provide the music on our keyboard–music from my background (which is as a classically trained organist), and it is well accepted.

So yes, the fine arts are important in worship–hopefully!

But even more than that, they open doors to conversations and opportunities to share in safe ways. People will come to fine arts events who would never come to “church” stuff–and in those environments, can feel safe to raise questions about why I do what I do. It’s not that they give me carte blanche to beat someone over the head with my faith witness–they don’t. But they open doors for dialogue to occur, misconceptions to be corrected, areas of commonality to be found.

So why bother with the fine arts? Well, besides the obvious (to me) answer that for many of us they nurture our souls, they are yet another way in which people from many backgrounds and traditions can find ways to share together in worship and praise–and learn from and about each other–without all the “stuff” that often gets in the way when we try to talk church.

This last weekend we had a sale at my mother’s condo of the things that she did not take with her when she moved to the nursing home.

When my brothers were here earlier this summer–when she moved–we each were able to take the things that we really wanted…the things that were significant memories to us. And Mom was able to enjoy watching what we selected–and knowing why.

So I didn’t think that the sale would be a “big thing.” And yet…

Most of the time I was able to see items leave with no problem, pleased that many of them went to people who had known and respected and loved my parents, people who wanted something to remember them by. Many of them will be helping others create special memories.

But occasionally, something went by and I found myself wincing a bit. Not because it was something I wanted to keep, but because some small item triggered thoughts that this really was the end of a chapter of life… I still have the memories, just not all of the things that might connect to them–but then I can’t keep all the “things.”

The time is coming closer when I will be the senior member of my family, and I think that’s probably what underlies some of the wincing I found myself doing. In many ways, I’m not ready for that–and yet, it’s coming, whether I’m ready or not. It’s part of life’s cycle.

Most of what Mom had left has now found new homes. Some I know where…much of it went to people I don’t know, but who found something they could use or that met a need or desire. And so, while one chapter of life closed, its closing has opened new chapters for others, and I’m glad.

Do you ever see news stories that make you wonder, “What was someone thinking of??” Or sometimes, even, “Was anyone thinking at all??”

Let me say first off that I think the idea of field trips for individuals in mental institutions has some real value in helping folks begin to feel comfortable moving back into the “real” world.

However…how on earth anyone ever thought that taking a mentally ill killer on a field trip–to a county fair of all places!–was a good idea boggles my mind. Especially when the nurses who were caring for him protested that he was unstable and that they thought that the field trip was not a good idea.  And then…after he ditched his chaperones, why did it take 2 hours before 911 was called??

I’m just glad that this particular situation ended without anyone being hurt–and trust that those in charge have learned a few things, i.e.:

• It’s a good idea to think if a decision you make would please you and your family if you weren’t the one making the decision.
• Listen to the folks who are closest to the situation if there’s any question about whether something is a good idea or not.
• If something goes wrong, act quickly to start getting it fixed.