Why Give Thanks?

Thursday is Thanksgiving, the day traditionally set aside for giving thanks for the bounties of the year’s harvest. The first Thanksgiving was celebrated in 1621. The Pilgrims had survived an especially harsh winter and they honored their survival and their abundant harvest with a three-day celebration of games and feasts, thanking the Indians and the forces of a Higher Power which helped them survive their first winter in America.

Over the years Thanksgiving has transitioned from a day of stopping to give thanks, to a day filled with frenetic holiday shopping and marathon football watching. As with so many of our holidays, some of its original intent has unfortunately been lost.

I’m a Baby Boomer, which means I am old enough to remember when stores were not open on Thanksgiving – when this day was truly a day of hanging out with family. Our family started the day off with a very exuberant game of touch football which was followed by a wonderful and leisurely Thanksgiving dinner where each of us would be asked to share what we were thankful for.

I realize that times change. In fact, my own Thanksgiving looks very different from when I was growing up. Yet, no matter how I am spending the day, I can always hear the voice of my father asking me, “What are you thankful for this year?”

Why do we give thanks? I know this might seem like a silly question, but I realize that my reasons for giving thanks have changed over the years. As a child it was something that I was supposed to do. I was focused on the “what” of being grateful. I could list all the good things that I had received or that had happened to me. As I grew older I began to understand the “why” of giving thanks – the benefits of being grateful.

When we take the time to stop and truly appreciate what we have, a couple of things happen. As we focus on what we are grateful for, we begin to see other things to appreciate and give thanks for. Our focus shifts from seeing problems and roadblocks to seeing openings and opportunities. Our gratitude expands our heart and we feel more connected to people and to the world. Giving thanks allows us to step off our treadmill, even if only for a moment, and realign ourselves with what is truly important to us. It reminds us that everything in this given moment is okay; and that is all we need to know.

I wish you and your family a very happy Thanksgiving; and I hope that wherever you are, you will take a moment to pause and say thanks for all the blessings that you have in your life.

If the only prayer you ever say in your entire life is thank you, it will be enough. – Meister Eckhart