A Life of Thanks and Giving

The month of November evokes thoughts of gratitude in each of us.

 I've always loved that the end of year holiday season leads off with a day reserved for giving thanks.

 I recently saw an art piece that swapped those two words and it seemed to express even better the true meaning of the season and, perhaps, even life.

 It had this inscription: Let our lives be full of both thanks and giving.

 When our gratitude is genuine, it just naturally inspires giving. After that, life takes on an entirely different dimension.

 I came across a story recently that beautifully illustrates the importance of letting what flows in flow out. It is a story about two lakes in Israel.

 One is the Sea of Galilee, and the other is The Dead Sea.

 The Jordan River feeds both of these bodies of water. But that's where their stories take a different turn.

 The Sea of Galilee takes what it is given but returns it back to the river and on to other streams. As a result, it's able to nurture and supply needed water to most of Israel. It is given life but also gives life.

 But the Dead Sea takes what it is given and doesn't allow it to continue its flow. Instead, it keeps all of what it is given. As a result, everything within it ultimately dies.

As President John F. Kennedy shared: "As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words but to live by them."

That means letting gratitude for our lives move us into lives of giving. Like the Sea of Galilee, take what we are given and share it beyond our banks.

That is a life we can all aspire to, even beyond this time of year.

Let our lives be full of both thanks and giving.

A prayer for the season and for life.