We lift up our hearts in gratitude for the strong bonds of friends and family gathered together here.

We lift up our hearts in gratitude for fathers and mothers, brothers, sisters, nieces, and nephews who are not with us here today.

We lift our hearts in thanks for those who have left an everlasting imprint on us even after they are gone.

We lift our hearts in appreciation for our friends who hold our hands and our hearts.

We lift up our hearts in thanks for the gift of warm homes and creature comforts, for the plenitude which fills our kitchens and fuels our bodies.

We lift up our hearts in gratitude for the gifts of good health and strong bodies.

We lift up our hearts in a song of thanksgiving for all of our unique individual talents.

We lift up our hearts in gratitude for the ability to fly high above the clouds, the fulfillment of an ancient dream.

We lift our hearts in thanksgiving for the gift of music and the arts
that delights our ears, hearts, and souls, for the ability to read and for the wonder of words that speak to our hearts.

We lift our hearts in thanks for our national freedoms of life, 
liberty and an opportunity to pursue happiness.

We lift up our hearts in thanksgiving for the expression of love which we share now and tomorrow.

Have a blessed Thanksgiving.

During my life I have had the opportunity to interact with a wide variety of cultures. Each of these interactions has helped shape me into the person I am today. As we say in the Nicene Creed every Sunday, we believe in one God. I have brought this mindset of one God to these interactions, and I believe it to be absolutely true.

I grew up in a Catholic family. Half of my family is Italian, and the other half is English and Irish. Both sides attended Catholic churches, and from an early age I learned that there was a self-perceived difference between “Italian” and “Irish” Catholics and their churches. I believe this is what started my open mindedness toward religion and faith in general.

I grew up in a small town in rural Connecticut that was beautiful, but less than diverse. We were lucky, however, to be within two hours drive of both New York and Boston so were able to view, if not interact with, a variety of global cultures.

I began to travel extensively starting at a young age. It started with family vacations and evolved into school trips, study abroad and