Uh-oh! Thanksgiving? This is, after all, February .
If this were a movie, you would see a calendar, turned to November 26, and then the November page, followed by the December page, would fly away; soon, a hand would appear, hanging a new 2016 calendar on the wall. Now, this blog and blogger are up to date.
Stop! Reverse the film! I am not done with Thanksgiving!!
The same hand pulls the 2016 calendar off the wall, and then the months of December and November float back into view. It is November 26th, Thanksgiving Day again.
Thanksgiving, a family day, an eating day, a football day, is a favorite holiday. But I do believe I have often given the “thanks-giving” part short shrift. A quick prayer before the meal, given over the chatter of children, is the reality of a big family, and of a special day that is exciting for everyone. It is hard to be still, to allow gratitude to be the primary emotion of the day.
Stop! Reverse the film! I am not done with Thanksgiving!!
The same hand pulls the 2016 calendar off the wall, and then the months of December and November float back into view. It is November 26th, Thanksgiving Day again.
Thanksgiving, a family day, an eating day, a football day, is a favorite holiday. But I do believe I have often given the “thanks-giving” part short shrift. A quick prayer before the meal, given over the chatter of children, is the reality of a big family, and of a special day that is exciting for everyone. It is hard to be still, to allow gratitude to be the primary emotion of the day.
This year was different. As a retiree, I was able, on the morning of the 26th, to spend some time listing all that I have to give thanks for. I was amazed at the length of the list.
And I realized that one day a year is scarcely big enough to contain all the gratitude I feel
A former pastor of mine suggested that we begin a gratitude journal, that at the end of each day, we list 10 things from that day for which we are grateful. One my New Year’s Resolutions (sorry, skipping ahead to 2016 again) is to do that. And on Thanksgiving Day in 2016, I should have not just a one page list, but a book full of gratitude.
I have encountered two kinds of retirees: those who find the positive in this time of life and are grateful for it, and those who see its negatives and complain about it. That choice, I believe, determines whether retirement is a happy, productive one or a time of decay, even depression. Yes, there are problems with this situation: a fixed income, new health challenges, fear of losing worth. But the joys — the time to learn new skills and new ideas, to volunteer, to take leisurely walks and to dig in the garden, to spend with family members, and to go deeper into spirituality — all of these far outweigh the pitfalls.
Do you remember the fairy tales about pots of gold that are never empty or jugs of water that perpetually fill themselves? Gratitude is similarly magical: the more we are grateful, the more we become aware of all that we have to be grateful for, and our gratitude increases. Unfortunately, complaining works the same way: the more we complain, the darker our lives seem, and our despair increases.
The cliché’ about half-full or half-empty glasses is useful. Those who see their glasses as half–empty find little to be grateful for. Those who view it as half-full see an astonishing sight – the joys continue to flow into it, so that soon, it is not just half full. Our cups runneth over.
2/3/2016