The Day After

What is the meaning of this "black Friday" thing? For some reason this severly irritates me. Anybody else?

Yesterday was the US holiday that we call "Thanksgiving". I'm pretty sure everyone has someone and something to be thankful for and many know WHO to thank for it. So after sweet times with family and friends, more food than we could have imagined, children playing at our feet and babies crawling through the table legs, fragrant herbs holding their sensual ground, laughter, beautiful tables set to perfection, a tear filled Psalm read, a time of thanks for my Mom's release from the hospital just moments before, a prayer for us all and a spoken blessing by our hostess on us all for the coming year and the moment, .....how could I even begin to think of the day after that as Black Friday?

Today I sit trying to recover from so much joy. The warmed bowl of leftover dressing and smoked turkey at my right remind me of the blessing of food. The world is full of folks with less than one meal a day. The day beginning with a chat with my Mom recently having a heart scare. One of my friends losing her mother just a day before Thanksgiving...there are no guarantees of next moments life. The beauty of fellowship, family and friends filled with talk of hope and expectation. So many live fractured lives... torn apart by dissension and bitterness. Peace of life, for so many there is never peace where they live...war or no war. Coming back home to Christmas decorations lighting my way, so much illumination, yet so many with no light in their hearts. No sleep last night until 4:45, giving me lots of time to reflect on the blessings of the week. Seeing my nephew and his new bride, our new niece, sitting at our table now adorned with a wedding band on her finger. So many have not yet had this new beginning they so long for. Falling into a safe and comfortable bed to veg out watching "Miracle on 34th
Street" for the 34th time. So many know little of belief in anything...God or, well, anything other than themselves. I just cannot, for the sake of multitudinous value packed opportunities to further my giving experience, call this day Black Friday.

so happy "Day After You Count Your Blessings", and enjoy the shopping and may you too have a warm bowl of leftovers!