Greetings!   

Just a half hour ago, the last of our 7 grown children/spouses/and 16 grandchildren left our Thanksgiving Celebration that began a week ago when they began to arrive from New Hampshire, Washington DC, Steubenville, and New York City.  It was wonderful. I'm  sure that your family celebration looked similar and yet uniquely yours.  A highlight for us was our family games....those over 30 vs. those under 30. With such beautiful weather, capture the flag and a game from Ireland called 'hand ball' our favorites.    

At the same time joy abounded in our clan, tragedy struck a friend's family when their son lost his life. Our nephew's family kept watch while Richard, their son, fought for his life and underwent heart surgery.  Across our continent, joy mingles with suffering.  All of us share a common thread....the need for hope in our daily circumstances... the COURAGE TO FACE FEAR of the future, of the unknown, and what is already known.  

There is an old saying:

Fear knocked at the door.

Faith answered.

No one was there. 

Where might we need courage in our lives

Courage to try a new path;

Courage to dare to hope;

Courage to help find a cure or paint a masterpiece;

Courage to wake up tomorrow;

Courage to wake up with expectant joy in our heart;

Courage to face our laziness or haphazardness;

Courage to face our sharp tongue;

Courage to be creative in dealing with our finances;

Courage to own up to our sins and say we are sorry again.

Courage in little things can build and become something as dauntingly beautiful and mind boggling as all of the heroes and heroines that we can think of.  

 Is this US running toward the future?

One of my very favorite stories in the Old Testament is about the Macabee brothers.  When I think of COURAGE, I think of these men and their willingness to undergo torture and death in order to be faithful to not eating a certain type of meat which to them was forbidden by their religion.  Now, we all know, that if they had eaten the meat that they probably wouldn't have died...and really...wasn't it worth their life in exchange for just one measily piece of meat?  But, for the Macabee brothers, it was about something more important than the meat itself.  It was about a tradition of loving God more than life itself.  I think of these brothers a lot because I want to live with that type of courage.  It seems to come right from God...something supernatural, and yet something that just makes the natural more natural... as if we were always meant to be that way.

To be willing to give up your life, whether in a battle or in the lions den or to save a neighbor or to love with your last ounce of courage, is what heroic movies have always been about.   

I know that when I saw the main character in "The Help" stay faithful to the maids and risk loosing her fiance, her reputation, etc... I wanted to be more like her.