RBWords - Volume 32 - Number 11: November 2019
Something to Think About
R.B.WORDS – VOLUME 32 – NUMBER 11 – NOVEMBER 2020
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SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT
I think I would get a lot of agreement that our Thanksgiving celebration this year is going to be a somber one. Many people who might be at the table will not be, either because travel is too dangerous or because a loved one has died due to the COVID-19 pandemic. I live in a part of Texas that is a particular “hotspot” right now. Texas Tech University students are headed home to be with friends and family and will not return until mid-January because Final Exams will be online. I am told that the counseling services at the university are working overtime to deal with the kind of depression which the holiday season engenders, but is now being intensified by the confinement requirements of the pandemic. Thankfulness will require special effort and consideration! Needless to say, the current political turmoil is not helping matters at all!
Next weekend will bring the beginning of the Advent Season. The Christmas shopping season has already begun, with “Black Friday” just ahead along with other special “days” such as “Giving Tuesday.” Although the Advent of the Lord is the “reason for the season,” I know that many are simply praying for the advent of a vaccine to enable us to achieve whatever the next “normal” will be. There is hope on that level, but it will take months to become available. Nevertheless, there is faith, life, hope and love to be thankful for. From these will come our strength to persevere. IT’S SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT
It Has Been Said
How can we choose love when we have experienced so little of it? We choose love by taking small steps of love every time there is an opportunity. A smile, a handshake, a word of encouragement, a phone call, a card, an embrace, a kind greeting, a gesture of support, a moment of attention, a helping hand, a present, a financial contribution, a visit – all these are little steps toward love.
Each step is like a candle burning in the night. It does not take the darkness away, but it guides us through the darkness. When we look back after many small steps of love, we will discover that we have made a long and beautiful journey.
From Henri Nouwen, BREAD FOR THE JOURNEY – A Daybook of Wisdom and faith
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