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I am writing this two days before Thanksgiving.  I am really looking forward to so many foods that I typically only eat a few times a year.  I get to see relatives that I don’t see very often during the year.  I really do love Thanksgiving.  Being reminded that we have so much to be thankful for is a good thing, but I want to write about something else that happens this time of year.

Have you ever given a gift to someone and not been thanked?  Have you ever done something for someone and not received any acknowledgement?  It is probable that all of us have had a similar experience.  It’s a bit insulting, isn’t it?  We wonder if the person was unhappy with what we gave, or if they even recognize that a gift was given.  We might feel hurt or angry.

I would like to begin this with a quick analogy.   A quarterback drops back to pass, and he sees a wide receiver 15 yards down the field.  The quarterback throws the ball.  What he didn’t see was a defender closing in on the “open” receiver.  The defender intercepts the pass.  As the quarterback comes off the field his coach asks him, “What were you thinking?  Why did you throw it to that wide receiver?”  The quarterback responds, “I didn’t see the defender.”  Sometimes what we don’t see can be a really big problem.

Traditionally the month of November is a month that we focus on praying for our deceased loved ones.  November 1st is All Saints Day, formerly called All Hallows Day.  You can easily see how the evening prior to All Hallows Day would become known as All Hallows Eve, or Halloween.  November 2nd is All Souls Day.  It is the day that we specifically focus on praying for loved ones who have died.

Octubre se considera tradicionalmente el "Mes del Respeto a la Vida".  Cuando la gente oye la frase "Respeta la vida", muchos la relacionan inmediatamente con la cuestión de proteger a los recién nacidos para que no sean asesinados en la práctica bárbara llamada aborto.  Es lógico que así sea.  Las personas más vulnerables entre nosotros son las que no pueden hablar por sí mismas.  Muchas personas heroicas han defendido la causa de la protección de la vida en esta fase vulnerable de sus vidas.