November 2025

VIEW FROM THE HEIGHTS

November 2025

Gratitude is the alleluia to existence!

Sr. Joan Chittister, O.S.B.

Greetings,

Gratitude seems to be having a moment! Politicians are demanding it. Pundits are lamenting its absence or protesting its over-abundance!

November – the month dedicated to thankfulness - is the perfect time to revisit the topic. But, first, we must get the words straight.

Thanks and thankfulness come from the Proto-Germanic “thanka” (or “panka”)

which means, “to think”. Thanks is not, therefore, a rote response to a kindness or courtesy. Rather, it is the result of pondering that gesture and its giver. We think, therefore we thank!

Appreciation is the value we add to what has been given (by God, others, Father Christmas, etc.). When we appreciate a person or place, a gift or a grace, we increase its worth. We “appreciate” it!

Hawkers of bling on the telly make similar claims about their wares but they are only speaking of dollar value!

Gratitude and its cognates come from the Latin “gratis” via the Medieval English “grate”, a word that meant “pleasing” or “gratifying.” The person, or action, or object that pleases us, starts us thinking. And from there to thanking.

There are many whys, wherefores, and ways to express gratitude. Sometimes, “thank you” is simple politeness. A “honeyed” social lubricant that is more

attractive than vinegary responses. (Or neutral ones.) But beware of thankfulness for the wrong things!

Telling God that you’re grateful he gave you this or that crisis or illness is hurtful for our Heavenly Parent. DO NOT GO THERE!

But if you recognise God’s presence in the ER, the OR, the court or the crash site, give her the credit! If you can see his hand at work organizing the health care team or the legal team, share your appreciation with our Holy First Responder. Tell others, too.

“God got me through it!” is a powerful testimony. And an honest prayer of thanks.

November is a time to be grateful for our ancestors and the saints in our lives,

To appreciate the good gifts of food and shelter, family and friends.

A time to THINK on God and THANK him.

November is the perfect time to add “allelulias” to our lives!

Wishing a month full of blessings!

And a Holiday Season brimming with praise!

Brenda

October 2025

VIEW FROM THE HEIGHTS               

October 2025

He won’t let you stumble, your Guardian God won’t fall asleep. Not on your life!

    Psalm 121:4, TMSG

Greetings,

It’s good to be back with you all after our holiday at home. The visit was brief but it allowed us to catch up with friends and stock up on “Yorkshire Gold” tea. It was wonderful to get together with old friends. The trip also provided two unexpected joys: the church & the train.

Sunday morning, we walked to nearby Christ Church, a Baptist/United Reformed (UCC) congregation.  Worship was uplifting – including an old Youth Group hymn and a lively march from Handel to send us out.  But their newsletter was especially inspiring. Apparently, Christ Church is an award winning “Eco Church” (A Rocha UK), and their September publication contains two creation-care messages: one about their pollinator garden and another on cut flowers. (See “Eco Church – Creation Care”) 

Christ Church are also committed to “neighbour-care”. The newsletter included a greeting from the next-door Catholic church, and an article about their connection with the local mosque.

Freshly motivated to be mindful of the Planet, we took the train for one of our longer journeys. It was brilliant!  No traffic congestion, no roundabouts (in the UK, there’s a roundabout between every roundabout!), no parking hassles, and no speed cameras!

Britain is heavily monitored by CCTV and driving offenses are the first to be spotted.

Justin Welby, then Archbishop of Canterbury, was captured driving 25 mph in a 20mph zone and was fined 500 pounds! (It started off at 150 pounds but he missed the payment deadline.) Train travel doesn’t just save Earth, it saves nerves, and cash!

Many of us think that God constantly has CCTV trained on us. Waiting for that moment when we veer into the bus land, stop millimetres into a hatched intersection, or go FIVE MILES above the speed limit! We fear that Peter will meet us at the Gates of Heaven with a lifetime of photographic evidence of our perfidy.

No worries! God doesn’t employ CCTV, hates catching people out, and keeps those Gates permanently propped open. But Our Heavenly Parent does have one traffic duty:

she’s a “Lollipop Lady”!  (A school crossing guard over here.)

He is out there with his vivid-coloured “STOP” sign whenever danger is near. Cautioning us to be careful; commanding others not to harm his kids. There is not a place in the world, nor a part of the day, when God takes a break from his “Lollipop” duties.

She is there with her arms outstretched to protect us from dashing into the road.

He stands firmly in front of all approaching danger.  “STOP!” God yells to any potential runner-over.

 Whether it’s a ten-ton truck of hate or a speeding e-bike of neglect, God does God’s best to block their path. Her only goal is to protect her beloved Earth and her precious Earthlings.

When you’re in over your head, I’ll be there with you.    

When you’re in rough waters, you will not go down.

When you’re between a rock and a hard place,

  it won’t be a dead end—

Because I am God, your personal God,

That’s how much you mean to me!    

That’s how much I love you!

Isaiah 43: 2, 3a, 4a TMSG

May you know the peace that comes from God’s close protection.

Deepest Blessings,

Brenda

Late Summer 2025

VIEW FROM THE HEIGHTS

Late Summer 2025

Wise men and women are always learning,

always listening for fresh insights.

Proverbs 18:15

Greetings,

Learning … listening for fresh insights …loving new pencil sets!

Even if our school days – or uni. days – are long past, this time of year is evocative. Back-to-school hopes and fears never totally fade. Treat yourself to some remembering. Say a prayer for the student who struggled, ring a cherished classmate, forgive the teacher who gave you an “F”, celebrate those “A’s”!

Education has been one of my greatest blessings (mostly).

Having wanted to be a nurse since I was four years old, I applied to 5 out of the 7 London teaching hospitals. (The remainder were too posh for me.) My first day at the Royal Free counts as one of the happiest in my life. I was actually addressed as Nurse Bennett! And was chosen to help the Chaplain with morning prayers. God was already working on my next career.

When it came to theological training, I was equally diligent about finding the right place to study. My favourite was BU but they required the GRE’s and I knew I couldn’t pass a graduate-level maths test, so I settled for Harvard. Yes, Harvard is for people who can’t get into BU – so let’s protect it!

God, I guess, had a lot to do with where I ended up. I had the privilege of studying with the G.O.A.T. Baptist preacher – Peter Gomes. I also had the pleasure of meeting students from all cultures and faith traditions. Multi-faith and multicultural connections are brilliant reminders of God’s love for all and presence within all.

Weston Jesuit School of Theology came next. (I loved Cambridge and searched out a way of lingering.) My first day was September 11th, 2001. The School President, Bob Manning (Father Robert Manning, SJ, but he hated titles!), wheeled a little TV into the lobby and students and faculty gathered round to watch the horror unfold. At noon, we all met for worship. I was grateful to be among pray-ers.

When classes resumed, one of my first assignments was to go for a walk and see what I noticed. Every person from that course still remembers where they walked and what they noticed! Noticing trains our ears and eyes to observe like God does – with appreciation, and concern, and love.

Learning – whether it’s how to notice, how to negotiate, or how to knit – is the way we become. The way we best fulfil our Creator’s hopes for us. God didn’t simply install a chip and send us off on our own. He longs for us to learn and grow, to dream and develop, to think new thoughts – including about God.

In a class or in church, curling up with a book, or connecting to the internet, discover new and wonderful stuff about our world and its amazing Creator! With God beside us, every day is a “school day”.

And remember, she never gives out “F’s”!

Therefore, just as your heavenly Father is complete … so also you must be complete.i

Matthew 5:48 C.E.B.

May this special time of year encourage and inspire you.

Deepest Blessings,

Brenda

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i Teleioi (Gk.) self- actualized, perfectly oneself