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Thanksgiving should be a time when all who are living and functioning in society should be thankful – from the neediest to the person who has it all, from the youngest to the elderly, from the healthiest to the frailest.
The Thanksgiving holiday has become a time of eating lots of food at friends’ and families’ houses, watching colorful parades and sporting events such as professional football and basketball games and in many cases, shopping for pre-Black Friday deals. As people partake of these activities, they talk about politics, sports, family and the latest developments on their jobs or personal lives.
What many people fail to do is talk about what they are thankful for. As they stuff their bellies, they complain about the job, the economy, the spouse or significant other, the Biden administration and “the mess the world is in.” There’s little you and I can do to fix the problems of the world, thus, we should focus on a time of joy and thankfulness, and our blessings, which are too numerous to mention.
If you have something to eat this Thanksgiving, be thankful. If you have a job, be thankful. The homes in which people reside or visit for Thanksgiving may not be of mansion quality but they are comfortable. A growing number of Americans don’t have a home to go to. There are more and more homeless.
While the coronavirus pandemic is still around, the days of the virus killing hundreds of thousands of people monthly appear to be over because of vaccines and adherence to measures designed to keep people safe.
Ironically, we almost take the day for granted. We have forgotten something very essential – giving thanks for life. All across America, people are being killed everyday just because someone is unhappy or seeks to take something that is not theirs. Nations are at war – in the Ukraine, Israel, and the Gaza Strip, there is fighting every day. The young and the old are mercilessly slaughtered.
Here in the U.S., while those of us fortunate enough to be able to eat to our heart’s desire and mark the day with our loved ones, others will be forging for something, anything to eat. The homeless, the mentally impaired, the abused, the abandoned, the lost, will find nothing enjoyable about Thanksgiving Day.
What would happen if we decided as a nation to give thanks for all that we have every day of our lives – 365 days a year?
Instead of acting as if we deserved what we have, we would remember that without the blessings of God, we would have nothing. We would share what we have with others. We would abandon notions of grabbing as much as we can while ignoring the needs of the many. We would live as if we were truly thankful.
After you’ve had your share of turkey, cakes and pies, take a moment and go to a quiet place and consider why you should give thanks on this day and all others. Despite the calamities and senseless violence that continues around the world, we’re here, alive today. That’s more reason than any other why we should give thanks.
This day offer a prayer of thanksgiving to God for your blessings, both great and small. Make it truly a day of Thanksgiving.