| Dear Friends, Merry, merry Seventh Day of Christmas! And a happy end-of-year to you all. At the end of each year, I always take time to think over the past year, often with my calendar in front of me. What things were challenging or hard? What lessons did I learn? For what am I thankful? This year, as you might imagine, most of the challenges, lessons and thanksgivings have to do with Truro. Let me share some of the thanksgivings. I am SO grateful for our staff! I continue to be overwhelmed by their servanthood, teamwork, and joy. Over and over again, they anticipate what is needed in a particular area and go the extra mile to make sure details are covered. Over and over again, I am blessed by their service. Our clergy have cared for many of you, in normal times and in times of crisis. They work hard to help us all worship and learn and love, juggling a myriad of roles. I am grateful for the many volunteers who work behind the scenes to make our worship services run smoothly: acolytes, altar guild members, lay readers, chalice bearers, projectionists, sound board operators, ushers. It is so easy to take them for granted, and they add so much to our experience of worshipping God. Their hard work and thoughtful care made our Christmas services full of joy and wonder. I am grateful for our seniors, who meet twice a month. Each time I attend one of their lunches, I am blessed not only by their wisdom and devotion to Christ, but also by their joy. Another source of delight has been our children and youth. I love it when the young ones stream into our 9:00 A.M. service. When the youth group met outside, I often walked by at the beginning of their meetings. I couldn’t help but smile as I watched them play or worship. And how blessed we are for their leaders and teachers. My list could go on (and has in my prayers), but you get the point. Certainly, there have been significant challenges in the last months. Certainly, we will face challenges in the months ahead. Some of us may find ourselves angry or frustrated or just plain worn out by what we experience. Even in the face of that, please take time to give thanks to God for the rich life He has given us together. |
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