Note from Nora: We give thanks.

October 9, 2020 Fall is in the air these days. In this part of southern Ontario the leaves are changing but not yet at their peak. The weather seems to shift several times a day, the winds are gusty, and the apples, squash, and pumpkins are all ready to eat. In other parts of the country the season is more advanced... I know from my friends in Nunavut that the berry picking is pretty much done because the snow has arrived.     There is a predictability about the change of seasons that is especially welcome this year, when so much of what we are experiencing is not predictable. We didn’t expect to be experiencing life in a pandemic. We didn’t expect to be celebrating Thanksgiving without getting together with groups of friends and family. We kept thinking that this will all be over soon… and now that “soon” has long past we realize that we don’t know when it will be “over” or actually what things will be like when that time comes. And yet… we give thanks.   Thanks for the winds and erratic weather and for the yellow, orange, and red leaves that tell us a new season has arrived, as it always does at this time of year. Thanks for our communities of faith that gather for worship and connection through the amazing electronic tools we have… and for the ministers who lead them. Thanks for those who work to provide the essential services that the rest of us depend on. Thanks for the opportunities that the months of social isolation have given for many of us to share more time with those in our own households, and perhaps to pause and think about the things that give life value. Thanks for the small things that people do for one another in this time, to offer something special or to reach out to someone who is alone. Thanks for the opportunity we have through Mission & Service to share with those whose needs are greater than our own. Thanks for the leaders in government and the public health officials who have been working so hard to bring in measures to protect the safety of Canadians and see us through this uncertain time. Thanks for the funny moments that make us laugh in the midst of it all. Thanks for good books and streamed movies and yes, even for video games. Thanks for long walks (especially with dogs). Thanks for a special meal some time this weekend, even if it is shared around a smaller table. We give thanks!   O give thanks to the LORD, who is good, and whose steadfast love endures forever. May God bless you and yours and may you find joy at this Thanksgiving time. Blessings, Nora   Nora Sanders is General Secretary of The United Church of Canada. Subscribe to the General Secretary's letter, "Note from Nora."