Photo was taken at Carrigafooka, near Macroom, Co.Cork (Irl)
This holly tree is packed with berries at the moment. It is traditionally associated with Christmas. But the birds often have it stripped of its berries before Christmas comes. These berries are a very important food source for many of our birds during these winter months.
Today is also Thanksgiving Day so Happy Thanksgiving Day!
Thought on Thursday – November – 22/11/2018
Thought For The Week
‘The very quality of your life, whether you love it or hate it, is based upon how thankful you are toward God. It is one’s attitude that determines how life unfolds. Indeed, looking at the same rose bush, some people complain that the roses have thorns while others rejoice that some thorns come with roses. It all depends on your perspective. If you want to find joy, you must first find thankfulness. Indeed, the one who is thankful for even a little enjoys much. But the unappreciative soul is always miserable, always complaining.’ ~Francis Frangipane
Today is Thanksgiving Day in the U.S and it is always celebrated on the fourth Thursday in November. In America many families will gather to celebrate, to share a meal, to relax and importantly to give thanks for blessings received. It is a day for all of us to pause too and to quietly thank God for all our blessings. Maybe right now there may not be much to give thanks for in your life. But if we can look deeper we know we will find some things to be grateful for. A spirit of thankfulness or gratefulness always goes a long way. It is something we always have to work towards, as it is often easy to take so much for granted.
Our faith reminds us how God journeys with us in the right now. Nothing else matters. For all of us the right now is a massive collection of joys, sorrows, pain, happiness, struggles, hopes, fears, weakness, fun, relaxation, anger, freedom, disappointments and so on. It can be a scary place and it can also be so exciting. We’re in there somewhere and so is God. It would be very limiting, if we thought that God only chose to be with us during the good days. It’s in the middle of our darkest hour that God is also particularly near. We are grateful for the difference our faith can make in the midst of the complex world we live in today.
To be thankful even for a little will always generate more and to be unappreciative means little else will happen. To be thankful always makes such a difference. Today and throughout the coming week we can pause each day to be grateful and thankful.
