Thinking about it now, it sounds sort of ridiculous. I'm kind of a Thanksgiving nerd, if there ever was such a thing. I get so excited for the annual traditions of spending the night at my grandparents' house, watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, eating a yummy brunch, and later sharing a Thanksgiving meal with the people I love.
But more than the typical holiday traditions and abundance of food, I seriously just love what Thanksgiving is about. Maybe it's because I'm a sentimentalist or something, but the simplest things in life just thrill me. I look forward to Thanksgiving every year simply because I love gathering with people that I love, eating food from the sweet 'ole Holmes County (which I'm appreciating even more-so this year having been away from the food of Amish Country for the past few months), and spending time remembering what matters in life.
It saddens me that it takes a specific holiday to remind us to count our blessings—on one day of the year. The endless Instagram collages of everyone we're thankful for, the "hashtag blessed" tweets, hugs and words of kindness, letting people know they matter to us.... Why do we limit ourselves to these habits only one day a year? Yeah, there are occasions when we stop to think about the many ways we've been blessed every now and then... But why can't we let thankfulness be a lifestyle, not just another holiday, a sabbath before the shopping frenzy and chaotic holiday season starts?
I know it's easy to think about the typical thankfulness blessings... Family and loved ones, a roof over our heads, an abundance of food to stuff ourselves with. And that's great... I'm not trying to downplay these things; they're HUGE blessings. But sometimes I think it's the littlest, simplest things that make a world of difference, that we can't overlook. No matter what day of the year, God has given us something to be thankful for.
Like the person who lets you pull out into traffic on a busy road when you're on your way to work. Or the cop who generously lets you off with a warning instead of giving you the ticket you deserve. Or the child who comes up to you and gives you a spontaneous hug, just because. Or the little birds you see out in the same tree every morning, singing songs of praise to their Creator. Or the extra tube of toothpaste in the bathroom drawer that you forgot you had but desperately need on a morning when you're running late. Or the grace of a boss the day you oversleep. Or the simple fact that this morning God chose to wake you up, get you out of bed, and give you another day to live.
The beauty of Thanksgiving is that, even if only for 24 hours, millions of people are collectively choosing gratitude. Which means they are collectively choosing joy. Because I don't think it's possible to be truly grateful and be lacking joy. The thing we need to remember is this: Every day is a gift, not just the fourth Thursday in November. This attitude of gratitude can be transforming if we simply choose to recognize the little daily God-gifts that compound to form a lifetime of blessing. Even the simplest, cheesiest, most mundane, normal, things in life can bring joy. In fact, the most significant things in life are often the normal things that we don't recognize as gifts until they're taken away from us. It is my prayer that we don't miss out on these daily God-gifts, and that we can carry this spirit of gratitude much farther than Turkey Day.
As for today, eat up, hug your family, tell someone you love them, and let people know that you are thankful for them. Most of all, thank your Maker, your Creator, your Savior; the One from Whom all blessings flow. Happy Thanksgiving, y'all.
"Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above,
coming down from the Father of lights..." {James 1:17}
PS-- In all my ramblings, here's a glimpse inside my thankful heart....
