Eucharist: the Greek noun εὐχαριστία (eucharistia), meaning “thanksgiving.”

Catholics are eucharistic people. That means we experience powerful thanksgiving with every Mass! So, today I cannot help but be thankful for my faith, and my beautiful family, for the bounty of material and spiritual blessings that we share. Yes, the big things are the deepest blessings for which I’m truly grateful. Yet as I look over decades of thanksgiving with faith and family, I’m thankful for the so many little things that make this a special time of year.

Heavenly Father I thank you for the little things that warm my heart, too…

For little construction paper turkeys made by tracing little hands and coloring each finger-tail-feather.

For annual pool tournaments with all the cousins, tall and small… complete with a brackets more competitive than March Madness.

For mashed potatoes. With butter.

For every body bringing a dish or dessert.

For hot cider. With rum.

For the seeing the Christmas trees being lit on town commons throughout New England.

For the first fires in the hearth.

For seeing the college freshmen come home for the first time.

For hearing what each family member is thankful for as we go around the table.

For the morning Mass… the one that everyone wants to attend, and where everybody sings.

 :::

Finally, a little prayer from an American writer and thinker who lived here in Massachusetts: