“If the only prayer you said was thank you, that would be enough.” 
~Meister Eckhart

Thanksgiving is a week from today. 
I don’t know if that is daunting (so much food to make and the house to clean and prepare)!
Or exciting (it will be great to get the whole family together again)!
I don’t know if you’re feeling indifferent (it’s just another day, no big deal).
Or sad (you will be missing loved ones who are no longer present at the table). 
Or maybe you are feeling something else entirely. 

I find it helpful to focus on gratitude, though hopefully not in a toxic positivity sort of way.
This week I was thinking of that famous quote attributed to German mystic Meister Eckhart: “If the only prayer you said was thank you, that would be enough.” 

Life isn’t perfect. 
We all have highs and lows, roses and thorns. 
Though sometimes we get stuck in the imperfections and the chaos and the hard stuff. 

Gratitude has a way of reorienting our minds and hearts.
So even when we are facing hardship, the sun still rose and was shining beautifully as I drank my morning cup of coffee. 
The dog looked at me so lovingly as we went outside together. 
There’s a roof over my head and shoes on my feet and clothes on my back and food in my stomach.
What are you grateful for in your own life?
It doesn’t mean the hard stuff vanishes and we ignore reality when we focus on gratitude. 
But the challenges are balanced with thanksgiving for the simple joys of life. 

Wishing you all a Happy Thanksgiving.

Love,
Pastor Lauren

Photo by Priscilla Du Preez 🇨🇦 on Unsplash

Thursday Thoughts 11/20/25