Practice Gratitude!

Tomorrow is a day that we set aside to give thanks. We trace the roots of our celebration back to settlers making it through some difficult times when coming to the land we know as America. I like this connection, but for me the day actually has more significance than just the historical link.

Tomorrow we set an entire day aside for giving thanks. Honestly, we would do well to do this all day everyday, but I'll take what I have been given (and be thankful for it). One day to give thanks; however, we do not often actually remember that giving thanks is the purpose of tomorrow. Instead we get caught up in the preparations of the food, the details of the parade, the football being played, the drama of family dynamics, or the absence of someone who is no longer with us. All of these are important, but in the messiness of these elements we can get so distracted that we only pause to give thanks during the blessing before our festive meal.

Tomorrow instead of confining your act of giving thanks to a single moment when your family, friends, and/or loved ones gather around a table, let the gratefulness expand a little bit. Every week at church in our Eucharistic Prayer (also known as the Great Thanksgiving) we say, "It is right and a good and joyful thing always and everywhere to give thanks." We go on to direct that thanks to our Triune God, but what grabs me is the always and everywhere nature of being thankful. You do not have to wait until you are sitting next to grandma with the turkey right in front of you to count your blessings. Instead, begin tomorrow by setting aside some time to practice gratitude.

Tomorrow when you wake up grab a pen and some paper. Maybe grab some coffee first or go on a run if you must, but do not turn on the news or check your email or open FaceBook. Get your pen and paper and begin writing down all the things for which you are thankful: people, places, things, feelings, activities, experiences, events, situations, conditions, and everything else; the good things, the bad things, and all things in between; the small moments, the huge moments, and all moments that are just medium moments. Spend time early in the day asking people you love about the reasons why they are thankful this year. For when we live our days focusing on our blessings we recognize something different than when we let other people dictate what we need to think about as we read the news or the newsfeed or listen to others spout out their opinions.

Tomorrow if you spend time counting blessings what I believe you will realize is that not just some parts of life are worthy of thanks, but all parts. Even the most frustrating things, the most horrible things, and the down right worst things I have experienced are now the events that have made me who I am. I may not ever want to experience them again, but somehow I believe that God walked with me through those moments to teach me something, to show me something, or to grow me in some way that could not have happened otherwise. I may never like going through low points, but I will do my best to be thankful for those moments, just as I am thankful for the high points. All of life is a gift. All of life is a gift. ALL OF LIFE IS A GIFT!

Tomorrow and always may we be thankful for the gifts that God gives to us.