It’s that time of year again…all the ghouls and ghosts are back at rest and the eerie nights soften into autumn sunsets. The menacing jack-o-lanterns become cheerful pumpkins welcoming friends and family. It’s harvest time, but what does that mean to the contemporary person far removed from fields of grain or corn?
I think the season is all about perspective. After all, isn’t Thanksgiving just a meal? It’s one with a bit more extravagance and maybe a few additional family members, but a meal nonetheless. If you look at it that way, that’s exactly what it will be – a mountain of preparation for 15 minutes of group over-eating. Perhaps you’ll be lucky enough to hear Uncle Bob’s story of how he once scored the winning touchdown in his senior year at Smalltown High… again. As soon as the leftovers are packed up, everyone quickly scatters having begrudgingly made their yearly appearance.
That very first Thanksgiving which we hear less and less about, meant surviving through another year of difficult circumstances. Those families didn’t need to be reminded of how lucky they were because it was obvious. Truth be told, it ought to be obvious to us too. This year you’ll likely be sitting at a table with someone who might have survived the great depression, beat cancer, went to war, or raised a family on less than you thought possible. Therefore, I invite you to look at Thanksgiving differently. Instead of using your iphone to watch a hundred memes of people dropping their turkey on the floor, step away from the screen and give the sappy old standards a try: parades, pumpkin pies, footballs, and real conversations. Ask the older members of your family about Thanksgivings of the past; ask about their lives, their successes, and their failures. Don’t be afraid to be thankful in front of your kids. I’m not exactly sure how the science works, but even though they aren’t paying attention, they will somehow remember it.
If you’re lucky enough to have a place at any table this year, make the very best of it. Do your part to make it memorable because Thanksgiving has always been a group effort and someone you love probably needs it more than you know. As a nation, we’ve gathered for the purpose of giving thanks in one way or another for almost 400 years and we’ve done it for a reason. Over the years the faces around the table change; they come, and they go. Some years will be bright and bountiful and others more modest. One thing remains the same -Thanksgiving isn’t about reveling in excess, it’s about being thankful that we have just enough.
Photo Credit: Gail E. Swick