November 24, 2021
Dear friends,
Last year, in our first pandemic autumn season, many of us had a very different holiday experience than in years past. We learned new rhythms, stayed in place, watched the local weather both outside and within. Maybe you tuned in to something that usually lies underneath the holiday hubbub, an invitation to get a little quieter in this season of shorter days and longer nights. Perhaps this year, you will continue to follow those new rhythms, rooting into the place which you call home or in which you find yourself, noticing the particular sights and sounds and smells in your corner of the world.
We might feel our feet fall on crunching leaves, listen to the rhythmic beat of our hearts, hear the crashing of the ocean waves. We may follow a stillness within that may contrast with the ebullience around us, or we may move again toward a quieter holiday all around. And, hopefully, we may have more opportunity to be with loved ones again, to feel celebratory even in complicated times.
In New England, it’s a time of paradox: we celebrate with feasts and family as the days shorten, the leaves fall, the earth dies back into itself for a season of dormancy and composting. It's a season of rest, of connection, and of longing for what might, in time, grow out of loss. As we at The BTS Center contemplate the close of the year and all for which we are grateful, we also share some articles below which help us both to complicate and to appreciate the nature of this Thanksgiving celebration. We hope you will find these resources thought-provoking, wherever this message finds you.
This Thanksgiving, in our gratitude for each of you, we wish you days of wonder and rest and gentleness. May each of us embody gratitude to one another and to this earth community of which we are a part.
With best wishes,
