Giving thanks in changing times
Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday! Not only because it’s a culinary-centric holiday, but because having a day devoted to putting everything aside (whatever the dynamics!) and giving thanks with family and friends seems the ultimate kind of gratitude. This was the central theme of all my Thanksgivings growing up, when we held hands and my father reflected for a few moments about what really matters in this world. Then we dug into the food and the flood of lively conversation!
At our Thanksgiving tables this year we can truly give thanks and bring forward our best selves at a time when things are shifting and changing in the world around us. Food is the great equalizer! It doesn’t matter what language you speak or what religion you practice. We gather at our tables to nourish ourselves and our families, or fill plates at soup kitchens for people who don’t have the abundance that we do. What a beautiful time of gratitude and true generosity of spirit! The offering of food has been going on for thousands of years as an olive branch, a welcome, a recognition of our common humanity.
It can be so simple, joining together over our tables, giving thanks for all our blessings. And Thanksgiving is the beginning of gratitude and generosity throughout the holiday season, for family, friends and community. For one and all.