Dear Friends,
As I sat down to write this greeting to you, I was initially tempted to harrumph and complain about the difficulties that we’ve all faced for much of the past two years. The world has changed in ways that would have been difficult
to imagine a mere 24 months ago.
Then I remembered Henri Nouwen’s affirmation about being grateful. “It is important to realize how often we have had chances to be grateful and have not used them,” he wrote. After all, God is still God whether life happens to be blissful and rosy or anxious and fretful. Even when we’re surrounded by what appears to be insurmountable challenges and disappointments, Henri reminds us there is much to be thankful for.
Every time we decide to be grateful it will be easier to see new things to
be grateful for. Gratitude begets gratitude, just as love begets love.
– Life of the Beloved
So, as we prepare for Christmas, a celebration of the Incarnation when the Word became flesh, I choose to be grateful that indeed God IS with us. And God remains with us in all aspects of our lives, in the sorrow as well as the joy.
I trust you will carry this truth with you into the new year and beyond! Thank you for being part of our Henri Nouwen Society community. I wish you and yours a blessed Christmas and a joyous 2022!
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