Mennonite Weekly Review

What a breathtaking, surprising experience early Monday morning.

I was still struggling to defrost my bleary-eyed vision while motoring in my Miata to start another work week after another blur of a weekend.

The vehicle moved stealthily up the sloping pavement of Route 33, headed east past Weavers Mennonite Church. What to my bloodshot eyes should appear in CinemaScope and Technicolor at the crest but a panoramic view of pictorial splendor, a Massanutten peak experience of the first order.

It immediately dawned on me, so to speak, that I “happened” to have my camera in the car. It wasn’t an opportune moment to stop and snap away. By the time I found a safe spot to pull off the road with an unobstructed view of the mountain range, the brilliant colors had begun to fade.

Nonetheless, I took several shots and continued on my way, a sense of rejuvenation in my being, and it was only 7:20 a.m.

I had a great day — for a Monday — thanks to this unexpected visual reminder of the resplendent beauty of the Shenandoah Valley, something I take too much for granted, even though this has been home for some 39 years.

Isn’t this how life often plays out? I dutifully plod along, pursuing my vocational tasks and other daily responsibilities while failing to appreciate the stimuli that contribute in many ways to my happiness and well-being — until the unexpected stops me in my tracks.

In this case, the unanticipated was most welcomed. Too often, recognizing what I have and giving thanks anew for manifold blessings and privileges comes to the fore only upon hearing bad news or by being asked how I respond to losing something of value or someone close to me.

In this season of Thanksgiving — which should last all year round — I want to re-kindle my desire to maintain an attitude of gratitude that is fueled by: