It’s the most wonderful time of the year. For me. It really is.
I love autumn primarily because of the changing colors that dominate the scenery each day. The golds, oranges, browns and reds combine to create the ideal color combination for my taste.
Storage tubs of decorations can be found in our home for just about every holiday on the calendar, with new items added each year as our children made arts and crafts projects reflective of the season. So this time of year we smile at the fall wreaths made from tiny handprints, rudimentary drawings of cornucopias, or poems sprung from the imagination of little ones learning how to describe what they were thankful for.
Thanksgiving can be filled with vibrant colors and mouthwatering aromas that fill the senses—without some of the added pressure that comes weeks later at Christmas. Don’t get me wrong. I very much enjoy the decorating, food, travel and celebrating that can accompany Christmas, but I really love Thanksgiving weekend because there’s less talk (i.e. pressure) to create the perfect event. In the sometimes frenzied activity of Christmas it is easy to lose sight of the meaning. But at thanksgiving the message is not as readily absent. Or abandoned.
Thanksgiving can be a lot of things depending on where you live, your job, or your traditions. It is family. It is a holiday. It is turkey. Pumpkin pie. Long weekend. Football. Rest. Cornucopias. Yardwork. The list goes on.
But there’s a lot of things Thanksgiving isn’t.
Thanksgiving isn’t a right. Limited countries have a day set aside for a similarly named festival and even within our own nation guidelines vary according to province. In some regions it is a statutory holiday while in others it is an observance or a designated retail closing day. If we do get the day off, we need to consider what a privilege that is. Then, among the things for which we express thanks, we should remember all those on the job that day working hard to serve, protect and care for us.
Thanksgiving isn’t easy. Not for some. Perhaps for many. Circumstances make this weekend particularly difficult. Someone they love won’t be gathering this year. Life has been irrevocably changed for whatever reason and facing these days is harder than others can understand. That’s why it’s important to reach out. To welcome in. To embrace.
Thanksgiving isn’t a burden. At least we shouldn’t approach it as though it were. Preparing for family and friends to arrive or organizing a big meal is not everyone’s idea of a good time, but having the opportunity to plan for festive favorites is a blessing. If we get to the point of seeing it as a burden perhaps we need to take a step back and reconsider how we can more meaningfully mark the day. If you love to cook—great. If you don’t, why put yourself through it? Find a different way to celebrate so that what you are doing is something you can all cherish. Because as much as we may enjoy the food associated with the day, there’s so much more to it.
Because ultimately, thanksgiving isn’t a day. It’s an attitude. A mindset. An approach to life that reminds us to take stock and recognize who and what make life so full.
When we look for the blessings…we will find them…in the big and the little; ordinary and extraordinary; the special days and the every day. Along with the attitude that comes with giving thanks is embracing ways in which we can simply…give. To be sure that means giving to those who are in want and need material things. But it’s also about giving to those in need of encouragement, comfort, friendship, a hug, or a listening ear. Helping to feed a soul as well as a body. In this regard, we have so much we can give away. Kindness, understanding and graciousness are among the things we have endless access to, if we so choose. How blessed we are that we have so much we can give away.
Long after the cornucopias are put back in the box or a festive meal has been consumed, keeping the spirit of thanksgiving alive will add immeasurably to how we approach the days that follow. Reflecting on what the day is, and isn’t, will not only encourage us to give thanks but also remind us that we have the incredible opportunity to give. That’s my outlook.
