A Note of Gratitude

As I sat down to write this note, I found myself looking up information about the first Thanksgiving: Governor Bradford, Squanto, Chief Massasoit, many Indians and pilgrims and three days of a celebratory feast. According to history, it was a time of coming together and gratitude, mostly on the part of the pilgrims, for the Indians taught them many things about surviving in this new world. Pilgrim Chronicler Edward Winslow later wrote in part:

For most of us, Thanksgiving is that time of year that invokes a variety of thoughts and musings: family, close friends, grandparents, rich aromas of delicious foods being prepared, like turkey, stuffing, pumpkin pie; the special feeling of Thanksgiving, memories of what we’ve been told of the first Thanksgiving with hardships and simple joys, football games, too much turkey, a softly-burning fire at the hearth, snoozing elders after dinner, all of this and so much more!

As a younger person, I’ll be the first to admit that I didn’t necessarily think much about the meaning of the holiday. It was just a great time to share a wonderful meal, hang out with family and friends, and maybe throw a football around outside (if it wasn’t too cold or snowy), and get that warm, fuzzy feeling. It was festive. I see it now more as a “pure holiday,” meaning nothing else is attached to it that we’re supposed to do; no gifting like Christmas, no partying like New Year’s Eve, no real expectations to meet, other than enjoying time together with family and friends and being thankful.

 My wife Karen and I spend a lot more time being thankful and grateful these days. We’ve become much more focused on that over the past several years. We find that living with that attitude makes a difference in want or abundance. Gratitude for what we have instead of always wanting more, and doing our part, however large or small, to make a difference for others seems more satisfying to the soul, in our experience. I’m guessing you have similar experiences.