Thanksgiving 2008
When was the last time you really thanked someone for being who they are, for deeds of kindness they have shown to you and to others, or for being there when you really needed them? If you answered honestly, and since expressing a sincere, heartfelt thank you is not easy for most, it has probably been a while.
Thursday is Thanksgiving Day and although its true meaning was once very spiritual and significant to our national forebears, it seems that this originally American-only holiday of giving thanks has somehow been reduced to nothing more than another excuse for families and friends to congregate amidst an abundance of food and drink. At such times, to whom or to what do we render thanks?
Ideally, we would gratefully acknowledge our blessings despite adverse circumstances, and not wait for any singular day to do so. As I write this I think back to my last moments with my father and my wife, and can honestly say that during those distressful last moments I thanked my father for being my dad, and thanked sweet Irene for gracing my life. And though I had expressed my love to them many times in the past, it was important to do so one last time.
It was important for them to know that their lives were meaningful and appreciated.
This Thanksgiving, many of us won't be able to share time or break bread with our families, or with our closest friends. Yet in our own way we can give thanks to God and to our loved ones, and we can all do so willingly and without fear.
And for those of you who have been ignored or abandoned by fair-weather family members, remember to thank your friends for being there when it counted most. As Henri Nouwen observed:
When we honestly ask ourselves which persons in our lives mean the most to us, we often find that it is those who, instead of giving much advice, solutions, or cures, have chosen rather to share our pain and touch our wounds with a gentle and tender hand. The friend who can be silent with us in a moment of despair or confusion, who can stay with us in an hour of grief and bereavement, who can tolerate not knowing, not curing, not healing and face with us the reality of our powerlessness, that is a friend who cares.
Enjoy this wonderful holiday, be thankful for the bounty and freedom of America, and give thanks for those who bless your life.