Thanksgiving Weekend

"It's been a quiet week in Lake Wobegon," Garrison Keillor would begin...and we can echo him today: "It's been a quiet weekend on Lake Erie, too." And everyone is glad about that!

Black Friday was a quiet day-after around the Mount. No one was part of the 4:00 a.m. line outside of Kohl's or the 6:00 a.m. mob waiting to get into Penney's at the Millcreek Mall! I suppose there may have been a little shopping, but mostly the day was spent just puttering around, taking advantage of a day when our ministries are closed, grabbing a post-Thanksgiving nap, or catching up on things that have been on hold for awhile.

Sunday was the culmination of our annual Community of Life program. This program offers our families, friends and benefactors an opportunity to pray with an individual sister for living or deceased family members and friends. Every day during November those special intentions are mentioned at both Morning and Evening Praise. Additionally, most of the sisters I know try to communicate with those whose lists they receive. All participants are invited to the end-of-November special Christ the King liturgy.

And, finally, Monday is a day off for most of us. Pennsylvania, Penn's Woods, is one of the top deer hunting states and the schools and even some businesses still maintain the first day of deer hunting (bucks not doe), the Monday after Thanksgiving, as a free day.

Some years the Thanksgiving weekend overlaps with the First Sunday of Advent, but this year we have this kind of liminal week, an in between time before the rich and beautiful Advent season begins next Saturday with the vigil of the First Sunday.

P.S. Oh, here's a quirky addition to these days: This week holds one of two unusual days for us. On November 27th, the other one is in July, four sisters celebrate their birthday...lots of ice cream and favorite desserts for all this week!