Giving Thanks

Central Catholic's students complete their final exams at noon today and begin summer vacation. The faculty and staff will gather for a prayer of thanksgiving and celebrate the conclusion of another academic year with a barbecue and time to relax. It is good to give thanks to the Lord, to sing his praises day after day, for "strong is God's love for us; he is faithful forever." (cf Psalms 117 and 118). Even as we go through each day, we can whisper a word of thanks as we complete a task, make it safely through an intersection without waiting forever...get that green light that will save us a few minutes, have a cold drink, receive a warm greeting, etc. Our days are full of reasons to give thanks. It might be good at the end of the day to look back and see what stands out as especially worthy of a huge thank you to God. And, let's not forget to say thank you to the people who do so many things for us or for others, that we usually take for granted. A well-placed thank you can turn gloom into joy, or pre-occupation into awareness that there are many beautiful people and events that come our way every day.
Thanks, Lord. All good things come from you. You are the BEST! Amen.