And That's What Thanksgiving is All about!

We spend a lot of time here learning about Honduran culture, eating Honduran food, and celebrating the Honduran way, but Thanksgiving Day was a time to share a little bit of life in the U.S. with our friends and neighbors here.  Here are few snapshots of the festivities:

Here I am trying to catch the Thanksgiving turkey.  MMMM...tasty!

Just kidding, we bought frozen turkey, and this lucky bird lived to see another day (oblivious to the fact that thousands upon thousands of his feathered brethren north of the border are being mercilessly slaughtered in the name of gratitude).

Here I am with the 15 pies (apple and pumpkin) that I helped make.  15 pies for 80 people...bunch of lightweights!  (Pictured: Erin Lucia and Sheena)

It wouldn't be an American Thanksgiving without some Futbol Americano--Pilgrims V. Indians.  Believe it or not, I could throw the old pigskin better than anyone else on my team, so I was elected quarterback.  I even ran the ball into the goal and scored a homerun.  Oh how I love the old gridiron!

Rolls courtesy of Sara: One of my very favorite parts of Thanksgiving dinner.

Well, as you can see we had it all--the turkey, the pies, the football.  All we were missing was the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and a comfy couch. (Oh yeah, I also really missed guessing which pies David Letterman's mom made).  I definitely missed being home for Thanksgiving, but it was a good one nonetheless.  I hope everyone had a happy and satisfying Turkey Day!

How to Become a Saint

As many of you probably realized, November 1st of each year we celebrate All Saints' Day, a day when we reflect on the Communion of Saints, all those who strive for a life of holiness.  Part of celebrating this day for me is reflecting on my own call to sanctity.  God calls each and every one of us to holiness in our own way; that is, we are all called to be saints. I would share more of my own reflections on this topic, but I think that Fr. James Martin, SJ, says it more eloquently and humorously in his book My Life with the Saints.  I highly recommend this book for anyone who wants to know more about the lives of the saints or maybe feels confused about the role of the saints for a Christian who lives in the modern world. Actually, everyone should read it (period). It's entertaining, witty, profound, and very accessible.  Here's a little excerpt that is more or less the last chapter of the book:  How to Become a Saint.  Enjoy!

PS: If you plan on reading the book, don't read the link above.  It's better at the end of the book.