I don’t often feel like a millionaire, in fact I probably more often feel like just another descendent of immigrant grandparents who is blessed with many gifts, i.e. an education, a roof over my head, healthy food to eat and a faith that tells me life is good. Despite this general feeling of well-being, I don’t often say thank you. I need times like our annual Thanksgiving rituals to remind me to do so.
Tania Luna did not experience life so good. At the age of six, as a refugee from the 1968 Chernobyl nuclear reactor accident she dreamt and hoped for a piece of of Bazooka bubble gum. Ten years after arriving in the United States, she decided to celebrate by returning to book a room at the first hotel they stayed in on coming to the U.S. only to find out it’s a homeless shelter. Tania’s July 2012 TED Talk, How a penny made me feel like a millionaire, reminds me to say thank you.
According to Beliefnet, Meister Eckhart (1260–1328) a mystical Dominican theologian said: “If the only prayer you say in your life is “thank you,” that would suffice.” (Passionists will note that St. Paul of the Cross was a follower of John Tauler (1300 – 1361) who was greatly influenced by Eckhart. Wikipedia tells us further that Tauler followed Eckhard in his work with pious lay groups called Friends of God, probably not unlike the Passionist Partners of today.)
Today, I will take the time to say thank you. Thank you to my family, my friends and my faith, all of whom support me and give me love, hope and a life filled with many blessings. Thank You!
Dan O’Donnell, a layman has covenanted with the Chicago Community. In addition to the standard covenant, Dan promises to work at connecting all partners known and unknown, to a conscious following the the way of Jesus, the way of the cross which Dan believes transforms all failure, democratizing the human journey
We are a community of laymen and laywomen who, with vowed Passionists, seek to share in the charism of St. Paul of the Cross through prayer, ongoing spiritual formation, and proclamation of the message of Christ Crucified.
Happy Thanksgiving Dan and “Thank You” once again for all you do and the informative articles you post.
Happy Thanksgiving to you Evan and thanks for keeping in touch.
It is easy to forget to thank God for all the awesome blessings he bestows on us constantly. It is also easy to say a sincere thank you to our families, friends and the people we meet everywhere in our daily lives. The librarian who is so helpful, our gardener, the costumer service representative who helped us with a technical issue.
Thank you Dan for this post. It has inspired me to show my gratitude to all!