Both Sides By Rev. Nina D. Grey November, 2000

November is the month of deepening darkness, of shorter days and colder nights. The earth begins its time of rest. Yet strangely it is also the month of thanksgiving for the harvest.

I want to think of both sides of November experience.

This November we elect a new president early in the month. It may be that some of us will be pleased by the election, and some of us may be disappointed. Whatever the outcome of the election and however we feel about that outcome, we can continue our struggles for freedom and justice for all peoples. We can be grateful that we have human will, can make choices, can persist in our path toward a better life for all.

I want us to think of both sides.

This November we join others who grieve in the midst of the terrible troubles in the Middle East, the violence of October days and nights in Jerusalem and the Occupied Territories, and the hate crimes in Rogers Park in the wake of that violence. As I write I hope that leaders in the Middle East will end the violence, come back together, and continue toward the path of justice and peace. But I know the volatility of that region. My hope is not the same as optimism. Still, we can be grateful for our capacity for compassion and the deep well of yearning for justice that dwells within us, so that we have to care about people whose suffering is so far away, yet near in our hearts.

I want us to think about both sides of November experience.

This November, as always, the trees have become or are becoming bare, and we are reminded of loss. November is the anniversary for me of personal loss, for it was always family month in my family of origin. My mother hosted the whole family for Thanksgiving. And she died, so many years ago, in the month of November. So in November I remember loss. But I also remember the possibility of strengthening bonds of family and friendship this month as we move toward our thanksgiving time. We can be grateful for the human possibilities of love, of friendship, of forgiveness and reconciliation.

If you possibly can, join with us in our Thanksgiving Community dinner, our Seder of freedom, our honoring of our diverse journeys, and our celebration in community. Be with us the next morning for our Thanksgiving Service for all ages. And, if you can, join together in our community interfaith Thanksgiving morning Service at Rockefeller Chapel.

And this November, take time to be aware of both sides, of the whole of life, with all its joys, sorrows, gains and losses. Take time to be grateful.

With love, in faith,

Nina