Last night we sat at a full table.
Full of delicious food and fancy wines.
Full of jokes and laughter.
Full of stories.
Stories of travels across Europe I was able to do this year.
Stories of war and survival, of courage and human connection in dire circumstances.
Stories of hope throughout history.
Stories of dreams for the future that students, colleagues and friends have shared with me.
Stories of struggles and big questions as they allowed me a glimpse into their lives and hearts.
Stories of growing up and discovering how beautifully complex this world is.
Being on the road and walking alongside so many people this year has been a huge privilege.
Being a witness to their stories, thoughts and dreams has been an immeasurable gift I’ll treasure for the months and years to come.
Last night we sat at a table full of gratitude.
Happy Friendsgiving.
Writing for Five Minute Friday today.
thisiskatha.com 
Katha, your writing is so lovely. I loved what you shared here and the way you arranged your words.
Love moments full of stories! We too love to travel. What a blessing it is. Happy holidays! Jenn, FMF
Thanks so much, Jennifer!
I like the concept of ‘Friendsgiving’ over Thanksgiving (which is steeped in colonialism and historically inaccurate 😒).
So true! It’s a good day to invite friends (and strangers) over and practice gratitude together.
Happy Friendsgiving to you too! Captured the day nicely.
Thank you, hope you had a great Friendsgiving too!
There is no Thanksgiving table,
there is no enticing feast;
I am living out the fable
of the Man who faced the Beast.
Why God set me in this story
I can neither know nor care,
save that it is for His glory,
and it’s what I have to bear.
Cancer’s demons seek to slay me,
seek to stain each moment’s grace,
seek to make my words betray Thee,
Lord, and curse Thee to Thy Face.
I will die; I cannot win,
but I’ll bloody not give in.
Thank you, Andrew, for sharing such bold and defiant truth!
Beautiful testament to the power and beauty of gratitude.
Thank you, Brenda!
That’s beautiful. Made me (almost) wish I was American!
Your FMF Neighbour #9
Thank you! I am not American either, but a couple of years I started to invite German friends over and introduce this tradition – and they’ve been asking for it every year since then! Maybe give it a try in your home country?