It’s been a tough twenty months for all of us. So many have lost their friends and family as a result of the pandemic. But here we are, ready to have the second Thanksgiving since our lives were forced to change so radically. Some of us still wonder: what is there to be thankful for?
A great deal. We have not suffered the same hardship as those Pilgrims who came to these shores seeking religious freedom. Of the 102 who boarded the Mayflower, only 52 survived to that first Thanksgiving feast, one in which they gave thanks to God that they were “so far from want,” as Edward Winslow wrote.
The important thing about gratitude is that it is to be shared. Only being thankful for one’s own good fortune is not gratitude, but self-indulgence. Gratitude means giving to others, bringing them the realization that they have intrinsic value.
Prayer for the Day
God of holiness and life, be with us this day
Reaching within each of us our hopes and longings;
Be with us as we wrestle with the demons and dreams of our lives,
Bringing us to a new understanding of your will for the world.
Write on our hearts an understanding of your law of justice and mercy,
As we strive to fulfil your promise of grace in the world.
In the name of the One who is your promise of grace,
Even Christ Jesus our Lord, Amen.
Thoughts for the Day
Gratitude therefore takes nothing for granted, is never unresponsive, is constantly awakening to new wonder and to praise of the goodness of God. For the grateful person knows that God is good, not by hearsay but by experience. And that is what makes all the difference.”
Thomas Merton, Trappist monk, social activist, writer (1915-1968)
It's a funny thing about life, once you begin to take note of the things you are grateful for, you begin to lose sight of the things that you lack.
Germany Kent, American print /broadcast journalist
O give thanks to the Lord, call on God’s name, make known God’s deeds among all;
Sing to God, sing praises to God, and tell of all God’s wonderful works.
Psalm 105: 1-2