HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Thou that has given so much to me,
Give one thing more, a grateful heart...
Not thankful when it pleaseth me,
As if thy blessings had spare days;
But such a heart, whose pulse may be
Thy praise.

~George Herbert, 1593- 1633

The above photograph, "Grace," taken by Eric Enstrom in 1918 in Bovey, Minnesota, is well known and much loved throughout the world. However, few people are aware of how it came to be. The official Web site for "Grace" contains a copy of a newspaper clipping published in 1961 that tells the fascinating story about this famous picture that has touched the hearts of so many. Two ordinary people going about their everyday tasks met up with each other in a seemingly chance encounter, and, as the saying goes, the rest is history -- the everlasting and ongoing history of God's loving Providence and amazing grace. Oh, praise Him!

"Father...you have no need of our praise, yet our desire to thank you is itself your gift. Our prayer of thanksgiving adds nothing to your greatness, but makes us grow in your grace, through Jesus Christ our Lord." ~from the Preface of the Mass, Weekdays IV