November 2017

Can you believe it is already November? Soon we will begin our rituals of “Thank Offerings” surrounded by family and friends. The Thanksgiving Holiday invites us to shift our energy, time to focus on what matters most. As temperatures change, autumn into winter we automatically bring out sweaters, jackets, scarves and hats. We shift in our attire; we shift the temperature inside our homes and office in preparation of seasonal transitions. I enjoy this time of year, observing Mother Nature transform her gracious green leaves for vibrate shades of red, orange, yellow and brown. Earth renews herself offering simple abundance and sustaining nourishment. Abundant harvest evokes abundance in thanks giving.

Last month the United States Navy celebrated 242 years of committed service to our beloved country. 242 years is a long time to remain resilient in our call to “Honor, Courage, and Commitment.” We celebrate our veterans and those who gave the ultimate sacrifice during November. I personally believe the sea services continue to endure because of the young, gifted and super talented men and women committed to serving. Simple abundance is the ability to do little things well with consistency. When a person decides to commit to a greater call, it is never a onetime deal. Each day there is a small ritual of recommitting and surrendering to something greater than you. The ultimate source of abundance is in the precious people who continually commit to serving others. I celebrate and salute the ancestors whose shoulders I stand upon as a Sailor! Their efforts afforded me the opportunity to take up the Holy banner of service to God and Country. I hope that we remember to give thanks for the little things done consistently that yield immeasurable results. I give thank offerings of praise for a new season, remembering how abundant we live.

“There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle”- Albert Einstein.

“To be really great in little things, to be truly noble and heroic in the insipid details of everyday life, is a virtue so rare as to be worthy of canonization. ” — Harriet Beecher Stowe

Kimberly Cain, NNOA Chaplain