A Simple Thanksgiving

Today is Thanksgiving in our part of the world. The second Monday in October is always reserved for Thanksgiving in Canada.   I believe that identifying one day a year as Thanksgiving Day  implies that thanks is due on this day, but not on others. We face a similar problem when we designate the second Sunday in May as Mother’s Day. Shouldn’t children honor their mothers more than one day a year?

When you think of Thanksgiving, most think of roast turkey ~ pumpkin pie ~ watching football. If you think about it, however, the actual events of Thanksgiving Day can be rather underwhelming. Millions of people cook mass quantities of traditional food. Then they all get together to eat more than they should, only to top off their gluttony with pumpkin pie. Then there’s clean up amid the folderol and even arguments, and that just about sums up the day for many of us. It’s more about eating voraciously than about being thankful.

Giving thanks and expressing gratitude on a regular basis should appeal to common sense – gratitude improves your life.  I am not talking in a biblical context either.  Gratitude draws attention to our experience of the good things in life, and helps us to endure the hard things in life. Gratitude is like savoring a fine meal, enjoy every bite, rather than racing through a meal as if it’s some sort of race (which I am often guilty of)!

For me, my life has been about gratitude.  My father died when I was about a year old so our family resources were limited.  A mother raising 4 girls on her own in the 50’s and 60’s was not an easy job.  There were no freebies and you were thankful for the food on the table even when it was only noodles and prunes, or the shoes on your feet -  even though they were pre-worn by an older sister. When you are on the receiving end of the Christmas hampers or clothing donations, you learn gratitude. You learn to be grateful for what you do have, not to be resentful for what you don’t have.  There was no sense of entitlement.   I am grateful for the privilege of having grown up in a home that had little. To have had an education, and part-time jobs in my teens that helped me learn the value of money.   It instilled the desire to work hard for everything I needed and to say thank you for everything I received.   I’m grateful for the ability to feel thankful. 

Today I live on a little island by choice.  It’s a small community, quiet, safe, and surrounded by nature.  We use the lakes and oceans to swim in, and our symphonies are in the sky with song birds or owls in abundance.  We grow fruits and vegetables.  We are fortunate and blessed to be able to do so.    Heaven’s all around us if you’re looking. Every day is a day of gratitude.

Don’t forget the heart of Thanksgiving. Let Thanksgiving be more than just a day. Why not take time during this week to remember your blessings and say “Thank you.”