Is Thanksgiving getting lost? It was bad enough when it went from being a day of thanks to being a day of overeating and watching football. (In the interest of full disclosure, I should admit that I intend to indulge in both of those activities on Thursday.) But now Thanksgiving is getting lost between Hallowe’en, which used to be a fun but minor holiday, and Christmas. Then again, that trend does not so much describe the holiday as the attitude it is meant to encourage. We can all too easily forget to take time out for gratitude as we are rushing on from one thing to another.
I would like to offer a suggestion on one possible remedy for that tendency to overlook gratitude. Ideally, I would like to give proper credit for this idea, but I cannot. It comes from an article that I read some years ago in some Catholic magazine, but I do not remember the source, much less the author. Whoever it was, he first made a very sensible suggestion that we should give thanks for everything. The important addition is that we not only give thanks, but we also include in our prayers a reason for our thanksgiving. Such a prayer increases our gratitude by making us think of why we are so thankful. It might be going beyond “Lord, thank you for this beautiful day” to the point where we say, “Lord, thank you for this beautiful day because it gives me a chance to enjoy a pleasant walk” or “because it gives me a chance to get some work done around the house.”
That kind of gratitude can help us grow in several ways. For one thing, if we really pay attention, then we may realize where we need to change our attitude on certain points. If I stop and think about why I wanted the blessing I am thankful for, I may realize that it was for a selfish reason. I may then have to stop and think about how I should use God’s gifts. Beyond that, this habit can help us become thankful for things we would not have considered as gifts. Before my father’s death, I used to go to his apartment on Wednesday night for my Thursday day off. Late one Wednesday night got caught in construction on the Parkway East. As I idled in the Squirrel Hill Tunnels at 11:30 PM, I found myself grumbling at my misfortune. Then I remembered that article, and tried to find some reason to be thankful. It wasn’t easy, but I thanked God for the quiet time, which gave me an opportunity to review the day and set aside some of the tension of the day. That does not mean that I am hoping to get caught in another traffic jam anytime soon, and I still would rather not been there that night, but I at least I did come to see that situation as something I could be thankful for.
One obvious opportunity for gratitude will, of course, come this week with our turkey and stuffing. I will be spending this week in Virginia, where I can enjoy my sister’s cooking. But while I am away from Kennedy Township at Thanksgiving, please know that I will definitely put the people of St. Malachy Parish at the top of my list of things to be thankful for. Happy Thanksgiving to my beloved parish family.
Father H
