Now is the season for a catching of breath, a pause for reflection, a counting of blessings. On the Vineyard we are in that heartbeat between the summer from which we are still recovering and the holidays about to rush upon us.

The time of the gathering of the harvest is past, and now comes the gathering of the tribe, the time of Thanksgiving. There are new faces at the table, and some from the past are gone. Each of us has changed, but Thanksgiving helps remind us of how much remains the same. Our Island is a daily reminder of how particularly blessed we are by surroundings of serenity and nature's plenty. As we sit to our dinners next Thursday, let us ask that our serenity and plenty be shared by all.