Thanksgiving week has arrived.
Last year, I dedicated a post to reflecting on Giving Thanks for 10 Ministry Experiences.
This year, I’m giving thanks for 10 meaningful experiences from 2021:
- Receiving the COVID-19 vaccine (see Getting the COVID-19 Vaccine)
- Starting a new ministry role as Executive Director of White Rock Center of Hope (see My Ministry Journey – Another Big Step)
- Enjoying my second annual weeklong fall vacation in Naples, FL with my partner – our first two getaways of that length in 20+ years of marriage
- Concluding 4 years of ministry with the Mansfield Mission Center (see Giving Thanks – Mansfield Mission Center)
- Celebrating my parents 50th wedding anniversary
- Gradually returning to in person worship after more than a year of only worshipping online due to the COVID-19 pandemic (see Pandemic Regathering: 8 Experiences)
- Surviving the Texas winter storm of 2021 that impacted the Dallas-Fort Worth community more significantly than any winter weather event in decades
- Watching the land adjacent to my home begin being developed after a false start a few years ago (see Looking South – Looking Again)
- Attending Dallas Christian College’s homecoming for the first time in the 20+ years since I graduated from the institution, and celebrating 50 years of ministry and impact by a beloved professor (see More than an English Professor)
- Participating in the closure of the first congregation I ever served after it had provided 150+ years of ministry (see Central Christian Church – Concluding 158 Years)
And, I recognize that there are many other memories that stand out from the last year including
- Contributing to Project Faith Lift – an initiative of Cathedral of Hope United Church of Christ that funded key changes that enabled the safe return to in person worship, including the replacement of sanctuary pews with chairs
- Navigating the pandemic supply chain after being rear ended, including spending 30 days without one of our family’s two vehicles (see Struck)
- Being part of the United Church of Christ for 10 years (see A Decade in the United Church of Christ)
- Blogging for 12+ years (see Celebrating 12 Years of So What Faith)
So What?
2021 has been a year with many ups and downs, featuring considerable changes personally and professionally, and marked by an ongoing pandemic. It has been a year when life has seemed to move more quickly than usual at times, and a year when life has moved at a slower pace than is usual. All in all, it has been a good year. And, it has been a year in which I’ve learned a great deal about being thankful.
In the days ahead, I’ll be making calls, sending e-mails, and spending time with people who are near and dear to me. I’ll be saying words that include thanks, thank you, and thankful over and over again. And, I’ll be reminded that Thanksgiving should be more than a day or a week each year; it must become a way of life.