Sunrise, sunset

For the first time in my life, I watched the sun rise and set on the same day, while flying.

Homeward bound on Wednesday, I saw the sun rise above Finland on a Finnair flight from Oulu to Helsinki.

And I saw the sun set somewhere over western Europe on my Swiss Air flight from Zurich to Boston.

Nothing quite so inspiring.

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Prodigal son

I feel a bit like the prodigal son, returning “home” to this site after a long absence.

In the Biblical story, the prodigal son returns after wasting his inheritance. In my case, I return reminded that if gratitude is to continuously uplift my spirit and outlook, it needs to be a habit and treated as a discipline. Otherwise it gets lost in the blur of the passing days.

My reminder came courtesy of Rev. Kim Crawford Harvie, who delivered a sermon on blessings and gratitude, including the benefits of keeping a daily gratitude list, at the Arlington Street Church in Boston last Sunday. You can read her inspiring sermon and see if it motivates you, too.

In addition to Kim Crawford Harvie’s moving reminder, last weekend included many blessings worth savoring:

  • Enjoying a long-overdue reunion with our minister from our time in Dallas. She married Lori and me and dedicated our two children.
  • Staying with her and her husband just across from the Boston Common, pretending to live in the heart of Boston and imagining the incredibly rich history that played out within steps of our doorstep.
  • Appreciating the unseasonably warm temperatures and clear, sunny skies.

Looking out over the Boston Public Garden shortly after sunrise

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