by Anna Moncrief

Created on: November 10, 2010

Thanksgiving Day is a time for family and friends, laughter, and good food. It’s a time to sit down and enjoy the company of people we only see once a year. But before that, there’s the turkey to cook, dishes to get on the table, guests to accommodate, children to pacify, and food to protect from sly fingers. All in all, it can be a particularly hectic time. When we sit down to eat, we are often just ready to dig in, but when we do, are we missing something important in the day’s festivities?

It has long been a family tradition in my home to say what we are each thankful for before we eat. One year in particular, we had each taken our turn around the table. There were the usual things like home, family, spouses, having a job. Last in line was my poor cousin. With all the dignity of his six years, he stood on his chair, holding hands with my mother and my uncle, and drew himself up tall. While eyeing the steaming bird in the center of the table, he announced, “I’m thankful for the turkey I’m about to eat.”  There were chuckles around the table, but he was allowed the first cut of meat.

Sadly, in today’s society it is getting harder and harder to find things to be grateful for. In a time when jobs are scarce, war and destruction rule the television, and people seem so desperate to avoid human contact, it is easy to loose sight of the wonderful things we have been given. So as we draw closer to the day, I’d like to take a moment to share some of the great things we do have to be grateful for in this hectic season.

First, we live in a nation that has a whole holiday dedicated to considering our blessings. That’s right, the United States and Canada are the only countries in the entire world that have made Thanksgiving an official holiday. If we didn’t live here, this would just be another day with the same old routine and same old cares. We get time off from school and work to come together and share this day.

Secondly, Thanksgiving is a time when the entire family gets together. People we would not see otherwise are sitting just across from us. Not only that, but everyone is relaxed and happy for one whole day. No one is running to make that meeting, no traffic to drive in to get to work, and no after school programs to keep us apart.

Finally, in the words of my six year old cousin, “I’m thankful for the turkey I’m about to eat.” One of the most commonly overlooked things to be thankful for on Thanksgiving is the food, whether it is a feast or a simple meal. Through hard work and I’ll even venture to say luck, we have a home, a dining room table, and food to put on that table. One of the simplest things is perhaps the greatest blessing of all.

Even if it is just the food you are about to eat, or the roof over your head, I would like to encourage you to take a minute this Thanksgiving and reflect on what you are thankful for. Also remember, this may be the one time of year set aside for us to count our blessings but that does not mean we can’t take the time during the other 364 days of the year to remember what we have been given.

Learn more about this author, Anna Moncrief.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.