On Gratitude (+ Holiday Schedule 2021)
Hello friends! There’s not too much in the way of a flashy blog post this week, but for those of you who frequent (or plan to visit) our Thursday night Zoom gatherings, this is important info. If that’s not you, feel free to scroll down beyond this schedule for a short Thanksgiving reflection.
Holiday Schedule
Thursday, Nov. 18—Harbor, 7pm eastern (gratitude)
Thursday, Nov. 25—No gathering* (due to Thanksgiving holiday)
Thursday, Dec. 2—Harbor, 7pm eastern (Advent)
Thursday, Dec. 9—Harbor, 7pm eastern (Advent)
Thursday, Dec. 16—Harbor, 7pm eastern (Advent)
Thursday, Dec. 23—No gathering* (due to Christmas holiday)
Thursday, Dec. 30—No gathering* (due to Christmas holiday)
Thursday, Jan. 5—Harbor, 7pm eastern (and now back to normal weekly schedule)
*Note: We will continue to meet for #HarborLunch EVERY WEDNESDAY during this span from 11:30am-1:30pm eastern on Zoom. So on the weeks when there is no Thursday night gathering, we hope to still see you near midday on Nov. 24, Dec. 22, and Dec. 29.
I am grateful.
I once spent 6 weeks in China on a mission trip. Now is not the time to unpack all the layers and harms of these short-term trips based on evangelism. I only bring it up because it led to an interesting practice in my life. We had to be secretive in our mission work there because the government does not smile upon proselytization (and it could actually endanger the Chinese Christians we interacted with).
So we did not pray publicly, including the token prayer people usually offer before eating meals. Instead of saying grace, we would simply look at each other and state, “I am grateful.”
Years later (and on the other side of some cataclysmic events in my faith journey), this continues to be my preferred pre-meal prayer. Why? Well, in short, I’m not sure what the purpose of the normal prayer is, other than to engender gratitude to God. The phrase “I’m grateful,” if spoken from the heart, does the same thing.
I am grateful.
And that statement is true for many reasons. One is that, at the time of this writing, it is my 8th wedding anniversary with my wonderful partner. So today I’m extra grateful for so many memories, joys, challenges, and learning moments we have experienced together in our marriage.
But this is the Harbor Blog, not the Hallmark Movie Vibes Blog, so let’s move on. Another thing I’m thankful for is this past weekend, when Heather-Reneé flew in from Houston to visit the Pittsburgh cohort of Harbor friends! During her time, she experienced such Pittsburgh-area adventures as the incline, Mt. Washington, the Heinz History Center, brunch at Pamela’s Diner, and an excursion to Cooper’s Rock in Morgantown, WV (including a cameo from a WV-based Harbor friend, Amanda!).
On the surface, no big deal, sometimes people visit other people. But Heather-Reneé was one of the first people from outside Pittsburgh to join our community after the pandemic forced us to meet virtually (in fact, she may have been the second person after the aforementioned Amanda). It was the presence of Heather-Reneé in Houston, along with Amanda, Sean from Ohio, and Angela from Washington that alerted us to the need for on online community and helped birth the vision of remaining online indefinitely.
So to see Heather-Reneé in person, to sit with her in a group of friends laughing and eating hotcakes, was both surreal and joyous. It was hopefully just a preview of the ways we will find to gather and share life together face-to-face as we continue to navigate the pandemic and evolve as a community. Perhaps 2022 will bring the first Harbor retreat.
Like I said.
I am grateful.
Don’t let the holiday schedule fool you—this is still a great time to check out a Thursday gathering or a Wednesday lunch. You can sign up here for more information.
