A Season of Gratitude and Doing

November 2025

Dear Beloved Community,

As the leaves turn and the air grows crisp, we enter this season of gratitude, a time to pause, to breathe, to look around at both the beauty and the brokenness of our world. The golds and reds of autumn remind us that change is constant, that letting go can be as beautiful as blooming, and that the cycle of life holds wisdom for our souls.

Yet, my friends, this year feels different. The realities of our nation weigh heavily upon us. The rule of law, the Constitution, and the very policies that have long protected the poor, the sick, the differently abled, the elderly, and our children are being chipped away. We are witnessing not only political struggle but a moral reckoning, a battle for the soul of our democracy, for the well-being of our planet, and for the promise of justice for all.

Our Unitarian Universalist faith calls us not to despair, but to engaged hope. This is not a passive faith. This is a faith of doing, of showing up, speaking out, and building together. As Rev. A. Powell Davies once said, “Life is just a chance to grow a soul.” This is our season to grow our collective soul through action, compassion, and courage.

As we move through Halloween, Día de los Muertos, All Saints’ and All Souls’ Days, and the bright festival of Diwali, we are reminded that light and life are stronger than death and darkness. As the daylight shortens, may our inner light burn ever brighter.

Theologian and mystic Howard Thurman once wrote,

“There must be always remaining in every life some place for the singing of angels, some place for that which in itself is breathless and beautiful.”

In times like these, beauty, gratitude, and joy become acts of resistance. To give thanks when the world feels uncertain is to declare that love still lives.

This year, the significance of Thanksgiving lies not in comfort, but in intentional gratitude and resilience. It is a time to acknowledge what sustains us: our relationships, our simple necessities, our shared spirit. Gratitude can be a radical act, a way of saying, “I will not give in to fear.”

Here are a few practices for finding meaning and light this season:

Focus on personal well-being:

Acknowledge worry, grief, or fatigue without being consumed by them.
Practice self-compassion and cultivate gratitude daily.
Remember that gratitude is not denial; it is the steadying of the spirit amid storm.

Connect with others:

Gather with loved ones. Share food, laughter, and stories.
Reach out to those who are isolated or struggling.
Offer a word of appreciation to those who have supported you: teachers, caregivers, neighbors, health workers.

Engage in acts of giving:

Volunteer your time or share your resources with those in need.
Engage in small, joyful acts of kindness: give, write a note, plant something, mend something.
Offer gratitude for the Earth itself. Let us give back through care, prayer, and mindful stewardship.

As our Jewish siblings remind us,

“It is not your duty to finish the work, but neither are you free to desist from it.” (Pirkei Avot 2:16).

Beloveds, our work as a community continues. What shall we do together? What might we give together? Whose burdens can we lighten together?

Let this be a Thanksgiving of action, a holiday of healing, a season of solidarity. For we are one human family, bound by hope, faith, and love.

Let us remember: gratitude is not the end of justice work; it is the heartbeat that keeps us moving forward.

With thanksgiving for each of you, and faith in what we can build together.

In hope, faith, and love,

Rev Gordon
Rev Gordon Clay Bailey
Minister
Sepulveda UU Society
818-724-4260

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