As I was taking my daily walk, on Campus, I was struck with the quiet of the normally bustling surroundings.

I encountered almost no one…and could even hear the sound of my foot falls on the walkways.

When I was still working, at SIU, I enjoyed the day before Thanksgiving and the day before the Christmas and New Year Holiday.

These days were ideal for reflecting on the past year and looking toward the future.

They were also days, for me, to appreciate the opportunity that I had been afforded to be a member of the Southern Illinois University Community.

Shadows, were part of my walk today…and they are a part of our lives as well.

In the midst of the quiet and peace and beauty of nature…an ambulance siren peeled it’s purposely loud warning.

Such is life…where we are enjoying the peace and the quiet and the joy of living…suddenly trauma and suffering and the loud warning of a siren…causes us to stop and focus on our needs or those of of our family and friends.

Let us pause and thank God for our many blessings on Thanksgiving…and reach out to someone who have a, Siren, in their life.