Thanksgiving Reflections

I’ll be honest, Thanksgiving has never been my favorite holiday. Don’t get me wrong, food is delicious and I consistently eat too much of it—but I just don’t find that much satisfaction in a holiday that encourages me to eat way more than my sensitive stomach can handle. On top of that, the holiday has always felt a little cheesy to me. People, sitting around a table, reciting to each other the things they are thankful for—a good practice, to be sure, but there seldom seems to be any substance to it. Perhaps it is because Thanksgiving is not a religious holiday that I find I have trouble fully embracing it, or perhaps the gradual take-over of Black Friday has tainted the older holiday with the film of consumerism. Whatever the reason, I’ve found that I have trouble considering Thanksgiving to be anything other than a holiday of cheap pilgrim decorations and recycled proclamations of gratitude, repeated without reflection year after year.

God is in Thanksgiving, however, just as he is in every moment if we allow him to be. This year my husband and I are visiting his side of the family, and I am enjoying the chance to get to know my new in-laws. I am reminded that Thanksgiving is a holiday about family, and about soaking in the experience of being with those you care most about, and those who care most about you. So this year, despite the fact that the practice has always felt shallow, I will reflect on the things I am thankful for. Gratitude is a wonderful thing, we just need to be willing to dig deep.

I hope you all have a wonderful holiday, filled with family and good food, gratitude and deep seated joy. On this day, the holiday season begins. I pray that each of you will remember what this season is truly about and take time away from the hustle and the influence of worldly ideals to reflect, to deepen in your sense of self, to grow in your relationships with those you know and love, to love those you have never met, and to become strengthened in your walk with God.

Happy Thanksgiving!