Reflections 11/26/2020: If we are honest we must admit that this year, more than any other, presents the biggest challenge to be genuinely thankful as Thanksgiving rolls around. 2020… the year of shutdowns, shutouts, disease, death, riots, racism, political poison and a “dark winter” ahead. Jolly good times to celebrate! So today’s “Jesus Calling” really caught me off guard. “To protect your thankfulness, you must remember that you reside in a fallen world, where blessings and sorrows intermingle freely.” Marbled reality. The good swirled up inseparably with the bad! “Buy the one, and get the other one for free!” Hooray! Sooo, the choice becomes, which part of the cake do I focus on? God, I don’t need to Pollyanna-ize Thanksgiving by denying all the hardships this year has dumped in our laps. But neither do I need to forget all the good that has flowed our way. Perhaps being able to thank You in the midst of these “intermingled blessings and sorrows” is a deeper and gutsier kind of gratitude anyway. Maybe even blesses Your heart more than easy-peasy, smooth-sailing “thank yous.” Soooo, thank You Lord for cancer AND recoveries. For pandemic isolations AND newfound ways to connect with each other. For political tension AND the resulting realization that our relationships matter more than being “right.” For financial strain AND the discovery that so much of what we thought was essential actually isn’t! Marble cake. Actually my favorite when I can’t decide between chocolate and vanilla anyway!