Days of Thanksgiving
Perhaps the weather is settling in at last to a more
autumn-like cadence of sunny cool days and cold nights. But I am thankful that on
the sunny side of buildings, some plants are still green, and some have
blossoms. The colder weather is inextricably tied to the fourth Thursday of
November when families gather for that festive meal, and for an opportunity to
reflect on all the blessings we have received. Unfortunately, it has evolved so
that the greater emphasis now seems to be on an opportunity to watch football
games, and to be inundated with advertisements of the opportunities to shop
until you drop. Maybe that is one thing to be thankful for—that there is this
crazy time of celebration.
If your Thanksgiving Day celebration has become too frenetic
and loud, may I suggest that you take a different approach. Rather than wait to
give all your Thanks only on that day, take time every day this next week
leading up to Thanksgiving, to think of one thing for which you are very
thankful, and give thanks to God. Take a quiet time, when you do not have to
worry about cooking and cleaning the house and making travel arrangements and
entertaining guests, so you can concentrate on this, and glory in your
relationship with a loving God.
If it works for you this week to ponder a different blessing
each day, then next year you might start earlier, and do the same thing every
day in the month of November, to get you in the mood for Thanksgiving.
You may have too many blessings for just the month of
November—so why not carry that out for the whole year! Every time that you
think of God’s blessings, you will have less time to feel stress and anger.
For the beauty of the
earth,
for the beauty of the
skies,
for the love which
from our birth
over and around us
lies,
Refrain:
Christ our Lord, to
Thee we raise
this our sacrifice of
praise.
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