December 2, 2019

I was asked if it was strange to be away for Thanksgiving, and honestly it was not, although I did miss my family and friends. I was lucky that my daughter hosted a Friendsgiving, and that she invited me. 

But it wasn’t until earlier this evening that I was given the opportunity to reflect on my own thankfulness. The sky was beautiful and as I took several shots of it, I was reminded of a conversation I had with some afterschool children, as we drove up the mountain one late afternoon. It had already started to get dark, and as we reached our summit you could see that Belfast was lit up and sparkling. 

“Look at your city”, I encouraged them. “Can you believe it? Can you believe how beautiful it is?”

“Yes”, they answered simply. 

I have been quick to see the dirt and edginess, the poverty and secularism, the dysfunction and chaos which is Belfast. It is all of those things. But I am thankful for the simple reminder of its honest beauty and the feeling of familiarity and home that it generates in the kids.