Welcome to Wednesday-Friday, dear neighbors, and good morning! This was one of my favorite days in childhood. A four-day weekend on the horizon, the Thanksgiving Day Parade, the family gathering, and loads of free time on Friday and Saturday—everything turned toward Christmas come Friday, so today was filled with joyful anticipation. I still try to honor that sense of familial tradition and not jump into Christmas so early that I’m already tired of it by December 26th. I don’t mind the early playing of Christmas music; some diehards insist it shouldn’t start until the 25th. For those with a liturgical sense of time, the actual Christmas season runs from December 25th until the Baptism of the Lord, yet most people are tired of Christmas well before the new year even begins.

It’s good to have fond memories of the past. I have plenty of screw-up memories too, but I’ve done enough work on them that I no longer let those trying moments define the story. My childhood holidays were far from perfect—at times an emotional and relational mess of dysfunction—but despite that, there was a beautiful mixture of joy, laughter, and genuine appreciation. Yesterday, during various Communion calls, the topic was (of course) memories of Thanksgivings past. We talked a lot about all the preparation, the real feasting, and how some of the minor dishes that only appeared at Thanksgiving were actually the best. There was unanimous agreement that turkey stuffing (or dressing) is tragically underappreciated. It was a great day visiting octogenarians and nonagenarians, bringing them the Lord and sharing good stories. Lunch with the staff and conversations with friends all reflected on the goodness of Thanksgivings in our past. It is a blessing to share what is good and grateful and not be consumed with the drama of the day. I hope you, too, find an opportunity this week to revisit fond memories with gratitude. A few quotes on memory—not the same as reflection, but without memory you will never likely reflect on much of anything:

“How strange are the tricks of memory, which, often hazy as a dream about the most important events of a man’s life, religiously preserves the merest trifles.” — Richard Burton

“Memory is the treasury and guardian of all things.” — Cicero

“Memory is a net: one finds it full of fish when he takes it from the brook, but a dozen miles of water have run through it without sticking.” — Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.

Happy Wednesday-Friday, dear neighbors!