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It's good to be back from vacation, just as it was such a privilege and pleasure to have one to begin with! In just two weeks, it went from being not-quite-Halloween to being almost-Thanksgiving, with the holiday season right behind—not that I'm panicking or anything!! But, it is true that, much like my mode of vacationing (incessant discovery, little rest), the upcoming weeks can feel like an on-the-go blitz. Perhaps that is why I gravitated to the poem I offer this week, from American poet Nathan Spoon:
The Thanksgiving Cactus
Nathan Spoon
Here in a chair
in a cozy corner of this room,
under the glow of a lamp,
with the sun replaced by
the moon hanging
boldly in the sky, I pause
to consider the small pink buds
of a toothed cactus,
and I pause to consider
the moon as well, although
it is too far away to touch,
and in my pausing I feel
as if I am a wave on the ocean
or a seed pulsing
in a warmer season, now
that the leaves have gone
from most of the trees, now
that frost dusts the brittle grass
most mornings, now
that weather keeps us more
indoors, so that we are more
able to be together, even more
together, even during moments
in lamplight like this one.
How would you describe the overall mood of the poem? Does it incite gratefulness in you? Calm? Something else?
Do you own a "Thanksgiving cactus" (Schlumgera truncata), which is different, by the way, from a "Christmas cactus (Schlumgera bridgesti) ... the Thanksgiving variety has very pointed and claw-shaped projections on the edges of the leaf...does this change the poem for you?
The poet is self-described as "an autistic poet with learning disabilities and author of The Importance of Being Feeble-Minded." Does that color what you see in the poem?
Ultimately, what drew me to the poem was its emphasis on the colder weather and the holidays forcing us to spend more time indoors and, as a result, engaging in more "togetherness." When I'm feeling beset by the season, I remind myself of the joy of being together with family and friends. Now, if I can just keep that in my mind these next weeks!
It will be good to check in with you at Tea Time tomorrow, November 16th, at 4:00 PM. And, hopefully, you will be in attendance as we celebrate Thanksgiving as a congregation on Sunday. Plus, there is the Arts and Fine Crafts Sale following the service in the Community Room. Later in the afternoon, I will participate in an Interfaith Thanksgiving Service thrown by the Bayshore Ministerium, held this year at the First Presbyterian Church of Matawan (883 State Route 34, Matawan, NJ 07747). So, a busy day, but full of reasons to slow down and to be thankful, together.
Happy Thanksgiving,
Rev. Craig
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