Thanksgiving

Today is Thanksgiving.  A day for giving thanks.  To whom?  Well, originally, it was meant to thank the Creator God for all He has done for us...

Of course, we should thank God each day for that day's blessings.  Ideally, we would live in moment-by-moment communion with Him that includes giving thanks in all things.  Yes, all things.  Not so easy, particularly when we don't see the good in any given thing.

So why set aside a day each year?

I think, in part, because it's so much easier to complain.  It's so much more "natural" to focus on the things that are wrong, the things that need to be changed.  We focus on our pain, our disappointments, our unhappiness.  We so long for perfection that we fail to see the beauty in the middle of the mess. 

So we set aside one day each year.

But that day seems to have lost its focus.  Sure, people post random thankful posts on Facebook and other social media sites, but mostly, it seems, that Thanksgiving is more the "gateway to holiday shopping."  We have turned it on it's head.  As soon as Halloween is over, the "Holiday shopping" sale papers begin to come out, ads for what "super deals" we can score for "the holidays."

What if we truly decided to make the holidays about their original purpose?  What if we made Thanksgiving about truly being thankful to a Creator who loves us, who blesses us in the midst of our sinfulness?  Who, ultimately, longs to spend eternity with us, and who made that possible?  What if Thanksgiving DID become a gateway to a time of anticipation of Christmas, not for what we are about to "get," but for what we've already been given?

What if Thanksgiving kicked off a season of gratefulness and of blessing others?  What if, instead of stressing over the "perfect" gift for "the man (or woman, or child, or teen) who has everything," we focused on making ONE person's day better each day, giving one person a reason to be thankful that day?  What if we spoke kindly, smiled more, spent less time stressing over "perfection" and just thanked God in all circumstances?

Start with the cashier the first time you go shopping during this stressful time of year.  Smile at the cashier, call them by name (kindly), and thank them (sincerely) for helping you.  Ask about their day, sympathize with their troubles.  Standing on your feet all day is very hard work.  Treat them as you want to be treated at the end of your day.  (No, don't give them a foot rub.  That would be weird.  And possibly criminal...) 

Move on to the post office worker when you're mailing mountains of boxes (or cards).  Maybe take a treat for them to share within the post office.  (This probably works better in smaller towns.) 

Knit mittens or socks or hats for a homeless shelter.  Make baby blankets for a crisis pregnancy center, or a women's shelter.

Make "angel baby" blankets for the local NICU.  (These are small blankets/quilts given to families whose babies do not survive.  Sometimes they are used for burial, sometimes, they become a special "something" that the family keeps as a memorial.  Talk to your local NICU.  Many of them desperately need these, and very much prefer handmade over those impersonal hospital issue blankets.)

Basically, remember all the ways you are blessed, and do something for someone who is not similarly blessed.  Thank God and then do something.  Make Thanksgiving count.