Dear Editor:

Most of us look at the Thanksgiving month of November as a time for family gatherings with good food and good company. We often begin with a hand-held prayer of thanks. We rarely look under the rock of gratitude for the life we have, the friends who bring us joy and comfort, the family that brought us into the world, and the family we have no matter where we live in this country or the world.

This year our pastor asked us to take a look under the rock. We needed to see where gratitude is due and why we take so much for granted without saying “you have made my life beyond joyful and loving, you have made my life challenging and meaningful. Thank you.”

Life has provided so many friends it isn’t a surprise that I married my best friend in life. I suppose I could thank the sun and winds for creating our introduction, but I know it was God who I must thank as neither my husband nor I were responsible for the introduction.

Family began with Mom and Dad who introduced us to how love is demonstrated. Every morning before work we all ate breakfast together and Dad would lean down to Mom with a loving smile and kiss, stating how much he loved her and then turned to us affirming we were also loved. All three of us had never seen or heard this in our friends’ homes so we often felt we lived in a dream world. Thanks dad.

Sunday I learned that we are all clothed in a love that reflects compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. These are often not in our closet, but Thanksgiving serves as a reminder to look. We may need to pass through difficult times in our lives, but all struggles come to an end and we often benefit from challenges and are stronger for the road ahead. Rocks can hide the good in our lives and they can serve to protect. Once a year a simple meal of Thanksgiving reminds us to look under the rock and be grateful for the life we have.

Jarryl Larson

Edgecomb