Thanksgiving at Ciszek Hall.

If last year I enjoyed a cold and snowy Thanksgiving in Michigan, this year I'm having a chilly and rainy holiday in New York. In both cases, the warmth, festivity and fellowship of a Jesuit community celebration make up for the severity of the weather. The main components of Thanksgiving at Ciszek Hall are a community Mass (which we had this morning) and a turkey dinner (which we'll have this evening). In between, each member of the community is free to celebrate the holiday as he wishes - some by entertaining visiting family and friends, some by playing or watching football and some (like myself) by catching up on reading and perhaps watching a movie or two after dinner. Each of us is also expected to assist in the preparations for tonight's dinner. Those gifted in the culinary arts are involved in cooking the meal and baking various desserts. People like me who do not possess such gifts help out with more mundane tasks like setting the table and cleaning up afterward. In short, everyone does his bit.

To readers who celebrate today's Thanksgiving Holiday, I wish you a very happy and joyful celebration. To those for whom today is not a holiday, I hope you're able to recall the ways in which God has blessed you in the midst of your ordinary routine. To all, I extend my prayerful best wishes. AMDG.