All my life I’ve enjoyed Thanksgiving Day … especially the food, falling asleep from so much of it, and enjoying football games. Since I was knee-high to a grasshopper, I learned how the Pilgrims celebrated the first Thanksgiving upon arriving in the New World.
As time went on, I equated thanksgiving to things I have. It was dolls when I was a youngster, a car when I was a teenager, then that turned to bigger and more expensive items. I remember thinking, “if only I have $100,000, a Mercedes convertible, and a mink coat in my 20’s, I’ll have it made!” Well, that didn’t happen, probably since I started working and realized how hard it was to make that much money. Still, at that age I was stuck on things to have.
Amazingly, my perspective began to change the older I became. I became more grateful for the little things in life … the relationships I have had (especially appreciating after someone had passed) … the things I had that didn’t work so well, because I appreciated what did work on them … the fact that I have aches and pains from getting older, because I realize I still have those body parts to complain about.
I am thankful for the times I’ve spent with the underprivileged, with the homeless, working in the food kitchens … because I see how grateful they are for the smallest of gifts. That in turn reminds me of where my gratitude and thanksgiving should be. I learned a big lesson many years ago serving over 10,000 homeless at the Dallas Convention Center one Saturday. After helping with foot washing station that morning, I finished the day exiting the center and passed a long line waiting to enter. I noticed a man I had worked with … an attorney from a law firm I worked at. Then it hit me … be grateful for the little things, because there but by the grace of God go I. I would never presume to judge people by what they have or have not.
In 2011 I went on a choir/orchestra tour of Argentina with my church. It was thrilling for me to visit another country to see how others live outside the U.S. Despite the grandeur of Buenos Aires, an old city built by great wealth, I saw the most devastating poverty. As I rode in my bus heading toward a concert, I passed the city dump area and witnessed several people climbing out from beneath mounds of garbage to grab items being dumped. They were literally covered in filth. In addition to this, hundreds of children beg for money and food on the streets of Buenos Aires 24 hours a day.
As my pastor said today, the formula for this season is “be joyful always + pray continuously = thanksgiving.” Nowadays, I’m thankful for the little things … like the running board that rolls down so I can get into my SUV without hurting my back … like my husband who loves me in spite of my mess-ups … my (large) fur baby who loves me unconditionally … and the fact that God continues to love and bless me. He loved me so much He sent His only Son just for me! Be grateful for the little things this Thanksgiving.
“Even if not well with our circumstances, it can be well with our souls.” (Jennifer Rothschild, who is a blind author!)
Tagged: gratitude, homelessness, Thanksgiving
