Thanksgiving Is Upon You

This week, American families gather to celebrate a Thanksgiving meal. The journey across the miles is worth it when the gathering becomes the company of friends and family.

Expect the traditional foods like Turkey, cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie. Each family establishes its food tradition of delicacies and ‘not so delicate’ dishes that must be part of the meal. Some foods are only eaten at Thanksgiving.

Eating certain foods always recalls yesteryears when Mum, Dad, Grandma, Grandpa or somebody required us to eat particular dishes associated with the tradition of the meal. We still may eat some of those particular dishes even though we don’t like them. We shall do so as we recall the moments of protest in our youth and remember who required us to eat those fateful dishes. Thanksgiving isn’t the same without them or the memory of them.

The Thanksgiving tradition is a profound testimony to the fact that we humans are communal creatures. The ‘at loneness’ of life is conquered by developing friend relationships. Thoughts are spoken within earshot of another so a conversation may begin. Feelings mean nothing without another to react to them. Intimacy cannot exist in a solitary context. The global explosion of social media is just a modern proof that we hunger for meaningful relationships. We have a need to know each other!

Having friends is important. Having relationships is important. But that is not enough to experience thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving means to ‘give thanks’. Truly give thanks.

Give thanks for life. Be thankful in life. Thankfulness makes almost any experience bearable, if not meaningful. This is the mysterious and majestic lesson to grasp from the Thanksgiving tradition.

Some will gather at a Thanksgiving Dinner without saying a word of thanks. Yet thankful to be with those who surround them. This is a great place to start. But to utter words of thanks especially before you eat this meal sets everything in life on a different plane.

To truly thank those who gave you life makes it real for you and for them. To thank those who cross your path in life makes that daily crossing have greater importance. To thank those who share life with you in a myriad of ways makes those moments glow with greater significance. One must say the ‘thank you’ words to experience this. It cannot be learned any other way.

If you cannot find words to begin your Thanksgiving Dinner, try these. These are not my words. But I cannot think of better place to start and kick off giving thanks – even at Thanksgiving.

 Now thank we all our God, with heart and hands and voices,

Who wondrous things has done, in Whom this world rejoices;

Who from our mothers’ arms has blessed us on our way

With countless gifts of love, and still is ours today.

May your Thanksgiving be a blessing to you and all about you this year.