And we were thankful

I celebrated Thanksgiving, that All American ritual with good friends yesterday. We sat around the dining table and listened to our American sisters regale stories of Thanksgiving ceremony in their home country. And we were thankful. We ate turkey and mashed potatoes and sweet potatoes with marshmallows and apple and pumpkin pies. And we were thankful. We laughed until our bellies ached and our eyes streamed. And we were thankful. As we shared the thing we were most thankful to God for, I was struck that this, this very meeting of close friends, food and fun was what I was extremely thankful for. In the city that has this week been labelled one of the loneliest places to live in the UK, I was very thankful indeed that I was surrounded by friends and a community who are committed to one another and united in our belief that there is much to be thankful to God for, even in this lonely city.