(*Quote of the Month)
OK, just for fun, here's an odd little pairing representing two of the great thinkers of the second millennium -- A.A. Milne's Piglet character from Winnie the Pooh, and Meister Eckhart, the 13th-14th Century Christian theologian and mystic:
Piglet noticed that even though he had
a Very Small Heart, it could hold a rather
large amount of gratitude.
~~A.A. Milne, 1928
If the only prayer you said was "Thank You,", that would be enough.
If the only prayer you said was "Thank You,", that would be enough.
~~Meister Eckhart, 13th Century
Gratitude is in short supply these days, more uniquely so in our western, affluent culture. It’s almost as though Jesus’ words about abundance, “To whom much is given, much will be required,” could have been changed to, “To whom much is given, much will be forgotten.” Piglet’s large heart of gratitude and Eckhart’s minimalist prayer could go a long way in restoring the Thanksgiving requirement.
The old Thanksgiving hymn, “We Plow the Fields and Scatter the Good Seed on the Land” was well-known in my younger days. The lyrics were also picked up in the popular Broadway musical play Godspell, still frequently being done today. The song’s most profound verse, in my estimation, is its last:
We thank Thee then, O Father, for all things bright and good:
The seed time and the harvest, our life, our health, our food.
No gifts have we to offer for all Thy love imparts
But that Thou most desirest: Our humble, thankful hearts.
Only one in ten of the lepers that Jesus healed returned to give him thanks (see Luke 17:11ff). Let’s up that percentage, shall we? Join us outside today giving thanks for God’s masterful creation!
Blessed Thanksgiving!
~~ RGM, November 28, 2013
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