Catherine's Cafe Vocation Blog

In the northern hemisphere we're stepping into the new season of spring. It's been a long winter and most of us are ready for a change. Maybe that means stepping with a spring in our bodies as we enjoy the new life around us.  I feel so blessed to live in north central Wisconsin where the earth is still pristine in its beauty and every day offers new wonders. Each day I follow the trail in the woods behind my house and each day I see new plants and birds and even a few little critters that I haven’t seen before.  Each day is a revelation of God’s beauty, goodness, and love. How can I thank God enough for this bounty? What’s in your backyard or in other areas of your life, areas perhaps long-dormant after a harsh winter? Can you name the trees bursting with blossoms? Can you greet the tiny wild flowers smiling up at you as you stroll past them? Can you sing along with the various bird songs that float over the breeze to tickle your ears? Sing with me Psalm 104:...

How do you say “Thanksgiving”? “THANKSgiving” or “ThanksGIVING”? According to an article in  Mental Floss , if Thanksgiving, which is thoroughly an English word, actually behaved like an English word, the stress would be on the first syllable. (Think of words like SEAfaring, BABYsitting, HANDwriting, ALMSgiving, etc.) Linguist John McWhorter believes a shift to stressing the second syllable of Thanksgiving is reflective of the way our view of the holiday has shifted, that we “don’t truly think about Thanksgiving as being about thankfulness anymore.” I don’t know if I buy that…the word has always been “ThanksGIVING” for me and about gratitude. Maybe it’s a Midwestern thing.  However you pronounce it, Thanksgiving is about giving thanks for the grace and abundance in our lives. In these turbulent times, it’s often easy to overlook our abundance and focus on scarcity and what we think we need. I am reminded of this quote, attributed to a variety of people:...