Gratitude Is Always In Season

Table Talk

Setting the Table

You are welcome here. Come just as you are, bringing whatever is on your heart today. Take a few moments and allow yourself to just be. Take a couple deep breaths, grab yourself a cup of coffee, light a candle, do something that brings you comfort. Allow yourself to be present in this moment.

Consider how the practice of gratitude can reveal to us the value in every experience.

Sometimes it takes
a great sky
to find that

first, bright
and indescribable
wedge of freedom
in your own heart…

You are not leaving.
Even as the light fades quickly now,
you are arriving.
- Excerpt from “The Journey” by David Whyte

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8
To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted; a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; a time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; a time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; a time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.

Food for Thought

“God is great. God is good. Let us thank him for our food. By his hands, we all are fed. Give us, Lord, our daily bread. Amen.” My parents taught my three siblings and me this blessing during our early childhood. We said the blessing together at our dinner table every day. Didn’t everyone?

Remembering this blessing is an old memory. It’s one of the first examples of my learning about being grateful and giving thanks to God. It was also an educational beginning about traditions handed down and customs, culturally accepted behaviors.

Attention to learning has helped to lead a fuller, more gratifying life. Many people have contributed to my education, experiences, and my gratitude. Things help me, too. Through the years I’ve been collecting and using things that I love. They are my gratitude symbols of outward and visible signs of God’s inward and spiritual grace – my children’s swim team ribbons, music, and video recordings; photographs; rocks; sea shells; and tickets to events I attended with my family and friends. Together, they represent challenges overcome, goodwill, kindnesses, joy, and love…

These favorite things remind me of the gratitude I feel for the blessings of life. They make great bookmarks, something I can hear or hold for strength or see as a compass. When I deployed to Iraq in 2004, I wore a seashell on my ID tags from Ocean Isle Beach, North Carolina where my family has vacationed for 30+ years every Thanksgiving.

I was heartened and humbled to serve in war-torn Iraq, a life-changing experience that was one of the richest and most rewarding of my 31-year military career. Building cooperative relationships with Iraqi officials, tribal sheiks, and our troops was profoundly gratifying. Iraqi leaders customarily greeted me respectfully with their hand on their heart and a bow instead of a hand shake, which would have been a disrespectful gesture towards a woman. As a commander, I was customarily invited to meet with them and discuss projects first, then sit on beautiful hand-woven rugs and eat a meal.

The meaningfulness of my experiences continues to evolve. Like the objects collected, each experience has its own shape and color – some shapes are flat; some are more dimensional. Some have rough edges, some smooth. Their colors shift in various lights and shadows. During the seasons of life or moments in time, one’s perception and perspective can transform for the better through openness to greater awareness, compassion, and growth.

Understanding and believing that my purpose comes from the One who knows me best is enlightening. I am grateful for the year-long experiences in Iraq. I so appreciate and am eternally grateful to my family and friends for their love and understanding. I am grateful I was led: to journey on support mission convoys to Babylon and beyond; to get to know our stellar troops and my Iraqi interpreters, who received death threats for their dedicated support to coalition forces; to meet at the empty Baghdad Airport a US Contractor who, while giving me a needed ride to a destination, also shared that he was at Sharky's in Ocean Isle Beach weeks before arriving in country; to receive “thank yous” in perfect English from 6 and 7-year-old children for their completed school renovation, an Army humanitarian project. At the same event – as gifts, school supplies, and snacks were given out by Army staff members – I was amazed to see an Iraqi boy put on a new blue and orange lettered ball cap that said “Lexington Jackets”, the mascot for my hometown school!

During my tour, there were personal hardships. Leaving my family and learning that my father was dying were tough. Ironically, struggles and strife can yield positive effects, silver linings, if one is open to them.

Every day is a chance to be grateful and to render gratitude. It is life-changing in wonderful ways. God is great. God is good…

Physical objects can be wonderful reminders of peace, strength, or gratitude. Next time you have a free afternoon, have some fun creating a homemade reminder of whatever you need most right now – perhaps weave a token of peace out of beads and string, paint a rock from your yard as a colorful reminder of God’s ever-present strength, or design a symbol of gratitude with flowers and leaves.

Our hope is that this Table Talk series inspires you to take small steps toward inviting others into deeper community with you. This printable version of today's reflection, “Gratitude is Always in Season”, is for you to use in whatever way is helpful for you in your journey!

Blessing

With gratitude, I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give us a spirit of wisdom and revelation as we come to know him, so that, with the eyes of our hearts enlightened, we may know what is the hope to which he has called us…
Amen.

{Adapted from Ephesians 1:17-18}

A little Table Talk for your table...

• Share with a friend a challenging experience you’ve had – perhaps you felt way out of your comfort zone, or maybe it was an experience of fear or uncertainty that particularly called upon your trust in God’s guidance. What are you now grateful for about that experience?

• Do you have a physical symbol or object that holds special significance to you? Share about this object and its story.

• Discuss how approaching life from a perspective of gratitude can be life-changing for you.

Try taking it to the Kids Table...

• Talk with your kiddo about the concept of “silver linings” – how, though some experiences may make us sad or upset, good can come from them.

• Share about the beauty of other cultures! Teach your child about a culture different from their own. Together, list reasons to be grateful for such diversity in our world.

• Get creative! Together with your kid, using what you have handy in your home or yard, create a small token to represent something that would be meaningful to your child – a symbol to remind them that they are loved, that God is with them, or to remind them of their many blessings!

Meet Our Welcoming Voice!

Colonel Pamela Adams Harvey, US Army Retired lives and volunteers in Lexington, NC. During their 38 years together, Pam and her dear late husband, Steve, were blessed with three children. They committed to servant leadership through their family involvement with church and nonprofits in their hometown of Lexington and in their careers. For this opportunity to share her thoughts from “the Bunce Girls” (our caring, gifted friends always, and neighbors years ago), she is truly grateful.

To hear more from Pamela throughout the week, follow along on our Instagram!

Here are Five Things to Remember When Setting Your Own Welcome Table!