Thanksgiving 2013

If we could only learn to give thanks not only on the last Thursday in November, but every day, it is amazing how much better our world would be not to mention our health and our relationships. Thanksgiving was created as a national holiday, but has turned into the gateway shopping day for businesses to catch up on their bottom lines, and for people who worry, and I mean actually worry, about gifting. We invite friends, or visit family, we travel great distances, we eat too much. Our hosts worry about what to serve, who to please, and whether Aunt Minnie and Uncle Herb will be bringing the fight to the table again. Some of our loved ones are too far away to make the trip, so we will miss them, and feel a bit of emptiness right next to our hearts. Those of us who have lost loved ones since the last Thanksgiving will be thinking and remembering; some will be still in the midst of their grief, and some will have made enough peace with the reality of loss to be able to remember the good times with a sad smile. Is yours a family that takes this opportunity to give thanks to the Almighty for all of your blessings? Or is yours a family that greets each other and falls on the food? Either way, I hope you will take this opportunity this year to realize that whether or not you approve of the government as it stands today, you and I a madly fortunate to live in our beloved country. Our history is often simplified to the point of Indians and Pilgrims dressed up in brown paper bags, feasting on candy corn and the like. But let us remember what has brought us here today. A group of people who were fleeing oppression, came to these unknown shores, not knowing what they would find, but knowing that they would probably never see the loved ones they left behind again. Some did not survive even one harsh winter in the new land, and probably died of disease or despair. But even they still contributed to the success they made of this adventure that is our legacy, one that we should recognize and be grateful for. This country, this United States of America is the grand experiment that we are fortunate enough to be a part of. We have not, as a country been perfect, nor or we likely to be, but we are trying. Our brothers and sisters, new Americans and old-timers, have lived through war, often brother against brother, depression, economic hardship, assassination, racial hatred, and more recently attack and yet, we manage to mostly help each other in times of hardship, to comfort each other in times of sorrow, and to shelter each other when the need arises. We are a lucky people, and when I look around, I see people with generous hearts, and open hands. We are Americans. We are sometimes foolish and silly like everyone else, we are sometimes good hearted and generous. I hope you will take a moment tomorrow to ask around the table what each of you is grateful for, and when you answer, to remember those who made the sacrifices that made it possible for you to be where you are today. It’s a long line back, and while you are remembering, remember also the brave Maccabees, who, like the Pilgrims made sacrifices to maintain who and what they were. Save your shopping for another day, and spend your day and evening thinking and giving Thanks.