Mibes: Good morning. Good Sabbath. How are you?
Me: Glad to be alive. Glad to be with you. Amazed at how much there is to be grateful for. And you? How are you today?
Mibes: Glad to be up and about. Glad to be with you. No place I'd rather be. No one I'd rather be with. So you’re still thinking about Thanksgiving?
Me: Aw, thanks. Yes and no. Yes, I’m still grateful. Yes, I have good memories of this year and years past. But no, I’m not in replay mode, I’m looking forward to this day, this moment, actually.
Mibes: Same here. This moment, right now, with you.
Me: That’s how I feel.
Mibes: This isn’t just a writing exercise?
Me: Even if it were, what’s wrong with that? But no it’s not. It’s more.
Mibes: Yes! Romans says nothing can separate us from the love of God, neither life nor death, things present nor things to come. It’s an inclusive list. I’d like to think that’s also true for us. That nothing could separate us, either.
Me: I hugged you when I got here. And I’ll hug you when I leave, but I’m also hugging you now, Mibes.
Mibes: (laughing) Are you embracing me or my ideas.
Me: (also laughing) Both. But you got your ideas from the bible.
Mibes: True. And you. You inspired me.
Me: Glad to be of service. But I don’t know about this ideal of nothing getting in the way, nothing separating us from God or each other. It doesn’t take much. Apathy, bigotry, contention, deceit…
Mibes: You and your alphabetic lists.
Me: How about this: nothing can separate us from the love of God, but as flawed humans we can easily become separated from each other and ourselves. We do sometimes become separated not just from our family and friends but from our best selves.
Mibes: Yes, and it’s because of the widespread alienation that the connections we do have with our Creator, family, friends and ourselves are a priority, or at least should be.
Me: I knew that sooner or later you’d mention the word the s-word.
Mibes: "Should"? really?
Me: It’s OK. In small doses.
Mibes: We’ll have to talk more about this. We should talk more. We should.
Me: Love you, Mibes.
Mibes: Love you more.
