Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all the others.

~Marcus Tullius Cicero

In our home, Thanksgiving dinner is the most anticipated meal of the year. Everyone loves turkey and all the trimmings, not to mention the various dishes I make with the leftovers. Friends shared with us that they love to make Thanksgiving dinner more than once a year, and that got us started on a new tradition: multiple Thanksgiving dinners to share with friends. The number of Thanksgiving meals we have each year varies, but what we do does not

For each of the meals, we invite some friends over, break out the good china, and I cook an entire Thanksgiving meal—a big turkey and all the trimmings from my father’s stuffing recipe to homemade mashed potatoes to fresh-baked rolls. We share our home with our friends, relaxing and talking over dinner the way we cannot on real Thanksgiving when people tend to travel to visit family

What this does for us is that it reminds us to always be thankful to God for his many blessings. While we still observe Thanksgiving on the fourth Thursday of November, this new tradition makes it much more purposeful. We stop everything else and center an entire day on giving thanks for our blessings.

Father in heaven, help me to be more thankful for your many blessings. Teach me how to notice even the smallest blessings in my life so that I may always be reminded of your love for me.

To Ponder: Do you give thanks each day for your blessings? What can you do to make it a more purposeful act? ~ Christine Johnson

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National Day of Listening

And I want to repeat these three words: please, thank you, sorry. Three essential words! . . . Let us say these words in our families! 

~Pope Francis

A man of few words, my grandfather once remarked that the best conversationalist is a good listener. Listening shows courtesy and respect. It requires focused attention and a slower pace.

Today, on the National Day of Listening, let’s reflect on how well we listen to others and how courteously we communicate with them. If you’re anything like me, every third sentence is a panicked interjection: “Eat!” or “Find your shoes!” or “Don’t you dare stick a tomato in the light socket!”

As improbable as it might seem, greater domestic peace might be achieved by phrases such as, “Please eat the dinner I cooked for you with so much love” or “Thank you for putting your shoes away now so you can find them later.” Or even, “I’d be happy to listen to the reasons why you thought sticking a tomato in the light socket was a good idea.”

Moms really do set the tone and pace of the household, even though it feels sometimes like those things are beyond our control. Words like please and thank you and sorry show that we care about the person we’re talking to. And that, more than anything else, might just make them more willing to listen.

Open my ears to hear your will, O Lord, and open my lips to speak your words

To Ponder: Have you forgotten about common courtesies in the hullabaloo of daily life? Try to say please, thank you, and sorry a little more often and see what effect it has on the people around you.
~ Karee Santos

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What can you do to promote world peace? Go home and love your family.

~Saint Teresa of Calcutta

Christmas was my grandmother’s birthday. After Mass on Christmas Day, we would travel to her home to celebrate the holy day and exchange gifts. In the evening, we would return. This time we celebrated her birthday. Everyone would be there: her seven children, all her grandchildren, her two sisters, Grandpa’s brother, all their children, and their children’s children. All of us—aunts, uncles, cousins, second cousins, third cousins, and some neighbors—jammed together in a little duplex. The love of Christmas seemed to me all the more real surrounded by so much love and joy. It is my favorite childhood memory.

My grandparents have since passed. I rarely see my second and third cousins; however, I enjoy any opportunity I get to see and catch up with them. Still, all my aunts, uncles, cousins, and their children come together to celebrate important holidays. I revel in the fact that I am providing my own children with the wonderful opportunity to make the fond memories that I have.

Extended family provides us with a familial history. We discover that we are a part of a picture larger than our own little world. We become aware of the bigger family of which we are all a part: God’s family.

Father God, creator of family, thank you for my family. Help me to always love them, reach out to them, and share in their joys and sorrows.

To Ponder: In our busy world, losing track of extended family is easy. How can you keep in touch with family members: make a call, send a little letter or e-mail, make a lunch date, or plan a family reunion?
~ Kelly Guest

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Let Gratitude be the pillow upon which you kneel to say your nightly prayer.

~Maya Angelou

The end of November has Americans thinking about Thanksgiving and Christians the world over thinking about Advent. This November is also a traditional month for remembering the dead. November’s endings and beginnings can be a source of anxiety ( forget Advent; a busy Christmas season is almost upon us!) or hope. The difference might just be gratitude.

Writing in the early 1300s, Meister Eckhart says. “If the only prayer you ever say in your entire life is, ‘thankyou,’ it will be enough.” A lifetime feels like a long time to concentrate on one prayer. But what about Advent? What would happen if we dared to make, “thank you” the foundation of our prayers this season? If in the middle of all the busyness we learn to say our nightly prayers kneeling on the “pillow of gratitude”?

Dear Jesus, as November comes to a close, we remember again those who have died and we thank you for the gifts of their lives. We thank you for the many blessings with which our lives are filled. Thank you for Advent, for the chance at new beginnings. for promises of deliverance and salvation, thank you. For these next few weeks, if in your kindness you would grant us once grace, grant us the grace of a grateful heart. Thank you that you hear our prayers and for your boundless love and compassion.

To Ponder: What concrete change can you make to adopt gratitude as “the pillow on which you kneel” this Advent? How can you cultivate the prayer of thank you? How can you share your gratitude with others? ~ Michelle Jones

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Welcome to the  2021 Advent Reflections. We are excited you are joining us on your advent journey. Each day we will present reflections from The Catholic Mom’s Prayer Companion. You will get a special sneak peek into this year-long book of daily reflections.  This Advent we hope that through these reflections you will dive deeper into your relationship with Jesus, our Mother Mary,  the Saints, and our beloved church.

Purchase The Catholic Mom’s Prayer Companion today and get 20% off with FREE standard shipping. Use code PRAYTODAY.
Offer expires January 30, 2022.