Thanksgiving, Everyone’s Holy Day “The first fruits of the land you shall bring to the house of the Lord.” Exodus 34: 26

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I believe Thanksgiving Day is an interdenominational Holy Day! Some people admit it’s the only day they really pray with others. I’m always impressed with the sincere composure I have witnessed at Thanksgiving tables over many years. Children scan the faces of adults whose heads are bowed mumbling along with a leader— probably the host or hostess—who prays the traditional ‘grace.’ The children then silently giggle looking at each other as if to say: “This must be special cuz daddy is praying out loud.” I once watched as one tear left a daddy’s eye as he prayed, grateful for a new job after being laid off for a long time. 

My parents were married on Thanksgiving because it was the only day my dad could get off from work. Apparently, it was fairly common 90 years ago to get married on Thanksgiving which was not a federal holiday until 1941. My parents always celebrated their anniversary on the holiday. I am pleased to see that a number of retailers will not be open on Thanksgiving, a sure nod of deference to a bountiful God.

Customs and traditions surround the holiday in just about every family. One of my brothers started a tradition a few years ago that ranks among the best I know. His six children, all married with families of their own, and sometimes with a guest, make the trek to the homestead for Thanksgiving and the house is throbbing with laughter, teasing, summaries of lives well-lived, the walls bulging with stories, the kitchen steaming from the oven and the stove, a veritable heatwave of love in the air. This is my sister-in-law’s favorite holiday because it is family-centered, the connection of all of us tied together and embraced by God. She does not invite others to bring a dish unless it is your absolute favorite recipe that you cannot do without for the day. The kitchen is her domain! The meal will be ready when people start arriving.I think of a quote about the late writer, Joan Didion, who delighted in cooking for 75 guests every Thanksgiving and also insisted on no help: (For Joan, her cooking) “had to be a ritual, a meditation, a room and a time of my own.”  She sacramentalized the meal. 

I think of this quote as we gather at my brother and sister-in-law’s home. I have come to detect a prayer that is ritualized in gratitude for those we love. After everyone has squirmed into their seats and adjusted themselves at the table, my brother and I stand in the opening between two rooms where the feast will begin. I offer a brief grace before meals and then begins my brother’s litany of gratitude. He mentions each of his children and their spouses and thanks God for a particular success each has enjoyed since last year. One might have been given a promotion, another overcame an illness, another published a book, etc. Then he mentions each grandchild and thanks God for one getting into the college of his choice, another for making the honor roll, another for becoming an altar-server and on it goes. You might think it takes a while to get through 12 adults and 10 children, but when we are finished, we always say, ‘this didn’t take much time at all.’ Why? I believe because we are listening for what dad and mom or grandpa and grandma are grateful for in us, each of us. It makes me also think of what I am grateful for in each person at these tables today, Thanksgiving. Is there something this tradition is doing that should be done in churches to lift participants into greater prayer, more conscious gratitude for God’s gifts among us, or for deeper intercession for the violent disruption of the world’s poor and victimized? Let’s think about this on Thanksgiving Day and let’s resolve to provide remedies perhaps around our tables during this special time together. 

Reflection

We would do well to prepare for Thanksgiving by thinking of ways we can contribute to acknowledging, through prayer, what we are grateful for and what we see in others that inspires our gratitude. God is the source of all gifts, all successes. To acknowledge this aloud on Thanksgiving and give praise to God is an action others need to join us in doing. 

If you carefully read the psalms, especially Psalms 50, 35, 30, 81,79 you will note the need we humans have in the depths of our soul to praise God with thanksgiving. Stories in the Hebrew and Christian Scriptures are full of examples of people being inspired to give thanks to God for blessings and overcoming their trials. In Paul’s letter to the Thessalonians, we read, “…never cease praying, render constant thanks; such is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” (Thess. 5:18)

Now is a proper time to reflect on gratitude to God for everything, every gift we possess and every gift we must share. Some questions we might ask ourselves are:

—What must I thank God for that I take for granted almost daily?

–How can I help others to be grateful, to adapt a posture, an attitude that is grateful to God for everything?

–How can I show gratitude in action? How can I bring others along to do the same with me?

I wish all of my readers and my Anonymous Angels a blessed and Happy Thanksgiving. May your hearts be full of gratitude as you walk the journey toward complete Love.