To my Aussie, Canadian friends, and those new friends from Europe and South America, this past Thursday was Thanksgiving.  [tweetthis]A whole day to give thanks with family and friends. For me, the holiday extended all weekend. [/tweetthis]Sunday started Advent, which is the beginning of the Jubilee Year of Mercy.  So, I began out dinner with Pope Francis’s prayer for Mercy. I’m reproducing it here, because it seems like a great way to start each day, especially in the aftermath of so much recent violence.

Lord Jesus Christ,

you have taught us to be merciful like the heavenly Father,

and have told us that whoever sees you sees Him.

Show us your face and we will be saved.

Your loving gaze freed Zacchaeus and Matthew from being enslaved by money;

the adulteress and Magdalene from seeking happiness only in created things;

made Peter weep after his betrayal,

and assured Paradise to the repentant thief.

Let us hear, as if addressed to each one of us, the words that you spoke to the Samaritan woman:

“If you knew the gift of God!”

You are the visible face of the invisible Father,

of the God who manifests his power above all by forgiveness and mercy:

let the Church be your visible face in the world, its Lord risen and glorified.

You willed that your ministers would also be clothed in weakness

in order that they may feel compassion for those in ignorance and error:

let everyone who approaches them feel sought after, loved, and forgiven by God.

Send your Spirit and consecrate every one of us with its anointing,

so that the Jubilee of Mercy may be a year of grace from the Lord,

and your Church, with renewed enthusiasm, may bring good news to the poor,

proclaim liberty to captives and the oppressed,

and restore sight to the blind.

We ask this through the intercession of Mary, Mother of Mercy,

you who live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit for ever and ever.

Amen.

Added to that, in no particular order some of my more mundane blessing:

[icon name=”smile-o” class=”” unprefixed_class=””]  Indoor pools and early morning swims. Both Saturday and Sunday, Loved-One and I got a swim in at the local health club.  What a great way to greet the day.

[icon name=”pencil-square-o” class=”” unprefixed_class=””] Calligraphy pens.  I got a set years ago as a present.  The process is centering and the outcome is really rather beautiful.

[icon name=”smile-o” class=”” unprefixed_class=””]  DIY projects with CoCo.  I really do love the way she likes to make gifts for people.  Sometimes I must breathe deep into patience, as my desire to hurry to other activities tries to overtake me.

[icon name=”heart” class=”” unprefixed_class=””] Young love.  Mr. B is entirely smitten with Miss E’s best friend.  Remember the tingly feeling of just being next to the one you love? I do. I think the sparks flew right off of them and sprinkled down on all of us. Ahhhhh….

[icon name=”pencil-square-o” class=”” unprefixed_class=””] Freelance work.  This month, I’m working on outreach by different community organizations.  A local city collected over 60,000 pounds of food for the Food Bank.  I meet so many wonderful people through this job. Plus, last month I learned how to make First Snow Cherry Pie from a woman I interviewed.

[icon name=”pie-chart” class=”” unprefixed_class=””] Left-overs.  Yup! Turkey salad today.  Turkey noodle soup tomorrow.  Cranberries in my steel-cut oatmeal is the best way to have oatmeal.  A still a lot of pie left to nibble.

[icon name=”heart” class=”” unprefixed_class=””]  Cat nuzzles.  When the front door shut on the last visitor, Sasha climbed into my lap and buried her head on my chest.  I’m pretty sure her vibe said, “sweet, sweet silence, at last.” Perhaps that was my vibe.

[icon name=”heart” class=”” unprefixed_class=””]  And don’t forget the candy-making.  What fun for all of us.  I am so grateful for this tradition.  It’s so much more fun for me than shopping.