"I go to church to be lifted up and to be reminded of Jesus’s teachings, which are to love your neighbor as yourself and to be compassionate, loving, kind, and forgiving. Those are the qualities that I’m hoping will be on full display at my Thanksgiving table this year and throughout this holiday season. One of my favorite songs is the Idina Menzel song “At This Table.” The lyrics are so moving. I believe the song beautifully describes the kind of table we can each set over the days and weeks to come. It can be a table where all is forgiven. A table where all are welcome. A table where anyone can pull up a chair and feel welcome. That is what each of us can do this coming week. Practice inclusion, acceptance, and forgiveness.
No family is perfect. No family is without its stuff. But if we practice gratitude for who we are when we gather together, then we will be in a grateful space. My wish for you this week is to see the world through “gratitude eyes.” I hope you can experience the world with a heart steeped in gratitude, and with a mind open to the idea that all around you there are things to be grateful for. Trust me, there are."
Maria Shriver
11/21/21