I want to say thank you for Thanksgiving. I’m not talking about the original celebration but the message it sends out to us today. When I ponder Thanksgiving it says, “Pause and sit down with the ones you love to enjoy a meal” It doesn’t matter what your meal is but it does matter who is at the table with you. Surrounding yourself with the people you care about, who also care about you, is always enriching for your soul. This day is meant to be a meaningful pause where you think about how your year has gone and how those you love were a part of it. If you can, take time to really look around the table and bring to mind a memory with that person that is held in your heart and mind.
Of course, Thanksgiving also comes with its own commercially driven pressures. The pressure of a large meal with all the trimmings placed upon the table with just the right presentation. The pressure to be joyful and dressed in your appropriate fall attire. Even the pressure to attend a celebration when sometimes one just needs a peaceful moment by themselves. Consider how the meal preparation demands may have affected only one or a few people at the table and what you might be able to do after to let them know you are thankful for their gift to the group. Recognize the sadness that someone may be carrying with them and possibly acknowledge it with a hand squeeze, hug, or special memorial.
The family and friends who fulfill what makes you happy are the ones who can best share this day. Thank those you love through how you care for them at this moment. Release those stresses that you can no longer do anything about. Enjoy the day, and recognize that Thanksgiving is such a brief moment to share with those you love. Try to carry that same spirit to many other times throughout the year, because sharing that love and care shouldn’t only be our focus for that one special day a year.
Mary
