Here in the north, the falling leaves and their beautiful colors will soon be gone and frost or snow will cover the earth once again. However, our faith in the change of seasons safely in the hands of our Lord leads us to believe that next year, when spring arrives, all the beauty of the world with flowers and blooms will again return with glory and magnificence. Without hesitation we will not mourn the passing of another glorious year but enjoy the sights of the new season we are in now; quiet snow, calm evening nights bright with stars, and hearts filled with love and warmth customary to the time of advent.

Advent begins on November 15 and soon after on Thanksgiving we are reminded to thank our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, for all our many blessings. Of course, we all remember to thank God every day for His blessings and His love for us and for the wonderful, spectacular home we call earth that He has made for us! The following is from a book in the Apocrypha, Ecclesiasticus, or the Wisdom of Jesus the son of Sirach. The first chapter, the first verse reads: “All wisdom comes from the Lord and is with Him forever.” The following excerpts are from Sirach 43. It reveals the glory of God in nature.

“43 How beautiful is the bright, clear sky above us! What a glorious sight it is! 2 The sun, when it appears, proclaims as it rises how marvelous a thing it is, made by the Most High. 3 At noon it dries up the land; no one can stand its blazing heat. 4 The setting sun sets fire to the hilltops, like a metal furnace glowing from the heat. It sends out fiery rays, blinding the eyes with its brightness. 5 The Lord, who made it, is great; it speeds on its way at His command. 6 There is also the moon, marking the passage of time, an eternal sign of the changing seasons. 7 The moon determines the Holy Days. Its light grows full and then grows dim. 8 The month is named after the moon, marvelous to watch as it grows fuller each night, a signal light for the heavenly armies, shining out in the dome of the sky. 9 The shining stars make the night sky lovely, brilliant ornaments in the Lord's high heavens. 10 They stay in the places assigned to them by the Holy One and never relax their dutiful watch.

11 Look at the rainbow and praise its Creator! How magnificent, how radiant, its beauty! 12 Like a bow bent by the hands of the Most High, it spans the horizon in a circle of glory. 13 He commands, and snow begins to fall; lightning strikes to carry out His judgments. 14 The storerooms of the sky are thrown open, and the clouds roll out like flying birds. 15 With His power He forms great masses of clouds and shatters the ice into hailstones. 16-17 He speaks, and thunder twists the earth in pain; the mountains are shaken by His strength. Whenever He wishes, the south wind blows, whirlwinds come, and windstorms from the north. He sends the snow fluttering down like birds, like locusts lighting on the ground. 18 We marvel at its beautiful whiteness, and in fascination we watch it fall. 19 He sprinkles frost over the ground like salt, and it freezes into thorny flowers of ice. 20 He sends the cold north wind blowing and the water hardens into ice; every lake and pond freezes over, putting on a coat of icy armor.

21 He scorches the wilderness hills with drought, and the grass turns brown from its heat; 22 but a cloudy mist restores it all to life as the weather cools and dew appears. 23 By His wisdom He calmed the great oceans and placed the islands there. 24 Sailors tell about the dangers of the sea, and we listen to their tales in amazement. 25 In the sea are strange and marvelous creatures: huge monsters and all kinds of living things. 26 Each of the Lord's messengers succeeds at its task. Everything is held together by His word. 27 We could say much more and never finish, but it all means this: the Lord is everything.

28 How can we find the power to praise Him? He is greater than all His creation. 29 The Lord is awesome in His greatness; His power is overwhelming. 30 Though you do your best to praise Him, He is greater than you can ever express. Though you honor Him tirelessly and with all your strength, you still cannot praise Him enough. 31 No one has seen Him, no one can describe Him; no one can praise Him as He deserves. 32 Mysteries greater than these are still unknown; we know only a fraction of His works. 33 The Lord made the universe and then gave wisdom to devout people.”

I end my thoughts today with a simple prayer I remember when I was a child. Perhaps it may be very relevant in our world today since everyone has grown in secular intelligence and knowledge and many have forgotten the love God has for His complex creation and the simple people He made to live in it.

Child's Prayer of Thanks:

Thank you for the world so sweet.

Thank you for the things we eat.

Thank you for the birds that sing.

Thank you, God, for everything.

"Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it. And He took them in His arms and blessed them, laying His hands upon them.” (Mark 10:15-16)

Happy Birthday to all those celebrating their birthday in November. Among those are Matthew Kary on November 14; Jonas James Czech on November 16; Juliana Kary, November 19; Mat. Lana Chaykivsky on Nov. 24; Ben Kalemba on Nov. 27 and Mirek Szestawicky on November 28. A very happy birthday to everyone celebrating their birthday in November and May God grant you all Many Years!

Many thanks to all those who reliably donate to our food pantry. Helen Baron, our Food Pantry Coordinator would like to remind everyone that Thanksgiving and Christmas donations are now being collected to fill our baskets for our less fortunate neighbors. Your help is greatly appreciated.

Our parish will be having a Thanksgiving Party at our Church hall on November 10, following Divine Liturgy. Everyone is welcome to enjoy our delicious pre-Nativity and pre-Thanksgiving feast.