It’s that time of year again. You know, that glorious time in November where we spend one day cooking scrumptious food, sitting down with the people we love, and expressing how thankful we are for the things we have. I think that the last part gets left out more often than not, unfortunately. The true meaning of Thanksgiving has been hidden behind juicy turkey, Mom’s amazing mashed potatoes, and not to mention, that to-die-for pumpkin pie! In recent years, this time has also been overrun by the Black Friday sales that have been slowly leaking their way into Thanksgiving Day. Is anything sacred anymore? How are we to raise our children to be thankful when all signs point to “instant gratification or bust”?
Thanksgiving, traditionally, has been characterized as a day to spend with family. This has been the deal for generations on either side of my family. When I was a young child I always looked forward to the day-long experience that was Thanksgiving. My parents always made an effort to attend a get-together for each side of the family, so we were gone from midday to late evening. I enjoyed getting together with my family and spending time with my cousins. At each gathering we spoke to the things we were thankful for before we ate: the roof over our heads, the abundance of food on the table, the presence of one another…. But after all of these years, the thing I remember the most about these times during the Holiday season is the warmth I felt in my soul. As a child I never really appreciated these times. Mostly because I was developmentally unable to, but also because they eventually stopped happening. My parents divorced, the cousins grew up and some moved away, or family members passed away. Our families have changed and grown apart, but these times resonate in my heart each year as the Holiday season approaches.
I have new traditions now, as an adult with my own family, and my hope is that they warm my children in their hearts too. While I think it is honorable to Give Thanks on Thanksgiving, I also think that it is imperative to do so every day, and more importantly to teach my children to be thankful for the things that they have, each day. That although things may not always be perfect, there are more than a dozen things we have to be thankful for at any moment.