Mystery of Faith, Ruby Swinney, South Africa.
Earlier this month my sister and
brother and I remembered the 80th anniversary of our parents’
wedding! It reminded me of my 2012 post, “The Making of You” and its gratitude
for ways my parents shaped my character, attitudes, compassion, and interests.
As we approach the American observance
of Thanksgiving this year, it occurred to me to present again a part of that
reflection to encourage you to consider all who shaped you. At the end I
encourage your participation, inviting you to share on this blog the kinds of
people who made you into who you are today.
Here’s the excerpt and invitation from
the earlier post:
During my
morning prayers I thanked my parents and I thanked God for their having me,
caring for me, nurturing me, and encouraging my independence. In my book, The Final Deadline: What Death Has Taught Me about Life, I pointed out that,
despite their deaths decades ago, they continue to teach me. Some new
experience or wisdom will come my way, and the proverbial light bulb will go on
over my head, “Oh, that’s what Mom meant! Or that’s what Dad felt!” Many
readers recognized that experience in their own lives.
I used to
send Mom flowers on my birthday, following the practice I learned from a
friend. After all, she was the one who did the labor that made it possible!
On my own
birthday last fall, I began thanking God for my parents, siblings, cousins,
nephews, grandparents, aunts and uncles, Jesus, God, faith, and so on, and then
I continued, thinking of all the people who had shaped me—lovers, friends,
neighbors, church members, clergy, political leaders, communities, movements,
environments, etc. A morning meditation became a day-long and then week-long
reverie remembering all who touched my life in meaningful ways. The list became
REALLY long when I began naming teachers! And then, authors!
I can never
claim to be a self-made man, thanks be to God!
Who all
made you?
[To respond, click on “comments” on the blogsite and you’ll
be given options of methods for doing so. For those of you wary of safely registering
with Google you may simply respond as “anonymous.” For subscribers who receive this
post in your e-mailbox, you would need to go first to the November 20, 2019
post on the blogsite, www.chrisglaser.blogspot.com.]
This Sunday, November 24, 2019 I’ve
been invited to speak to Atlanta’s First Existentialist Congregation (UU) in
the nearby neighborhood of Candler Park on something preparatory of
Thanksgiving, November 28. I chose as my topic “Considering Gratitude for
Things that Don’t Make us ‘Feel’ Grateful,” suggesting the value of setbacks,
failures, losses, and opposition in our lives. I will offer an excerpt of that
talk as next week’s post the day before Thanksgiving, encouraging similar
feedback.
The
Amazon link for The Final Deadline:
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