It may seem incongruous for Northside Friends Meeting to recall 2020 with gratitude, but we do. We are grateful that, for the most part, the NFM community has adapted well to virtual life. We are thankful the pandemic has touched us lightly, with few becoming ill. We appreciate the new Friends that have come our way, and old Friends who’ve kept in touch because of Zoom. We are profoundly thankful for all the blessings of the year. Inspired by a similar Beacon Hill Friends House event, we gathered virtually for a Gratitude Gathering of Thanksgiving.
We met on the day after Thanksgiving, Friday November 27. More than 20 Friends shared time online, ate dinner, and talked about our favorite Thanksgiving meals and traditions. Several Friends sent recipes for favorite Thanksgiving dishes, which are posted in the ‘Recipes’ section of the website.
We grounded the discussion by reading aloud the “Circles of Trust Touchstones” developed by Parker Palmer and the Center for Courage & Renewal. Then we separated into breakout rooms for worship sharing on the themes of Gratitude as a function of Spiritual Practice, Social Justice/Action, and Family Life (scroll down to see the queries.)
Gratitude Tree
Even virtual events can have a physical component with a little advance planning! Before the event we mailed small wooden leaves to potential participants. Friends wrote a brief gratitude message onto the leaves, then returned them. Sarz created a Gratitude Tree banner of fabric quilted onto burlap, and the leaves were attached during our virtual Christmas party on December 20.
Here are some of the things for which Friends felt special gratitude:
· Health and Family
· Those who do the work
· Gathered meetings are possible over zoom
· Small moments of connection
· The stories we tell each other
· Financial security
· Jammin’ during my commute
· Support for my sobriety
· My human and animal family
And many more! The banner will be displayed once we resume physical gathering.
THE QUERIES
Gratitude as Spiritual Practice
· How do we practice Gratitude while surrounded by grief?
· How can we be more aware of the network that connects us to the rest of the world so we can experience gratitude for the smallest things?
· What if our gratitude exuded from us every time we walked out the door, greeted a friend or stranger, took a breath? (From Jon Watts)
Social Justice/Action
· How can we increase awareness of the indigenous peoples who lived on this land before the arrival of Europeans and acknowledge what we owe them? [Ojibwe, Odawa, and Potawatomi Nations (Council of the Three Fires), the Miami, Ho-Chunk, Menominee, Sac, Fox, Kickapoo, and Illinois Nations]
· The traditional Thanksgiving story omits the harsh reality that the Pilgrims’ arrival was fatal to many Native Americans. How has this deception affected our Thanksgiving practices over the years? How can we change our practices to reflect the truth?
Family Life·
Covid has disrupted our family lives, routines, structures, and support systems. How has this time of loss helped us re-focus on what we truly need? How can we still support each other while we are physically apart?