It’s a tale of two cities, a landscape of extremes, in Negril, Westmoreland, Jamaica. The friars serving in this Franciscan mission in the western part of the island know the contradictory images all too well: spectacular beaches, unimaginable poverty, columns of world-class resorts with ultra-luxurious accommodations and decadent cuisine, dilapidated single-room plywood “board” houses with no windows, running water or electricity and barely enough food on the dinner table.

I hope you are enjoying the autumn season! It can only mean that Thanksgiving Day is almost here, so I’d like to share a beautiful story that captures the essence of gratitude and being thankful.