How is it already November 17th?

How is it already November 17th?

There are less than two weeks until Thanksgiving,

and then Christmas is only a few weeks beyond that.

“The new year will be here before we know it.”

That’s the kind of comment that makes everyone do that little half-laugh,

half-sigh that says, “Yes… somehow time is speeding up.”

And the children…

They keep growing while we aren’t looking,

stretching toward a future that seems to be sprinting toward us.

They will be grown and flown before we can even blink.

We feel the quiet ache of knowing that each holiday is its own once-in-a-lifetime….

More time with those who have loved us longest becomes its own kind of grace,

and every spark of wonder in our children’s eyes is a moment we wish we could hold still.

But let us not worry these precious days away.

Even as we try to hit the brakes,

to slow the swirl,

to savor,

to listen,

to be with the ones we love.

Thanksgiving will be here soon,

with its familiar rhythm:

the gathering of family,

the clatter of setting the table,

the choosing of a favorite seat,

the parade on television in the background,

the football game that some watch

and others nap through.

There will be FaceTime calls with loved ones far away,

and stories told again and again because they matter,

and because hearing them anchors us.

These are the moments to say, quietly or aloud,

“I am grateful.”

These are our opportunities to breathe in the goodness of life,

to notice,

to delight,

to love widely.

So let us breathe deep and love wide.

Even in the rush of days.

Even as the calendar races.

Even when it all seems to fly past.

Let us breathe deep and love wide,

in the traditions we cherish,

in the chaos that comes with them,

and in every ordinary moment made holy

because we are here,

and we are beings of breath and love.