Givingthanks Day

Not long ago, I had a conversation with a woman on the subject of the Thanksgiving holiday. She told me that Thanksgiving was at the bottom of her favorite holiday list.

“It's all about food,” she said. “It's nothing but a display of an unhealthy, overweight society stuffing themselves with food that will make them more unhealthy and overweight, eating until they're sick and have to pass out on the couch in front of the football game.”

There is certainly some truth in what she said. But I can't help disagreeing with her and feeling sorry that her experience with Thanksgiving has made her feel that way.

I love Thanksgiving. It is, I think, the only major holiday that has not become ridiculously over-commercialized. You don't have to give someone flowers or chocolates to remind them that you still care. There is no digging around for a costume, or staying up to open the door to greedy candy-hunters. There is no need to put up a tree, or put lights on the house, or frantically wonder what to buy for everyone you know, or wrap things in a frenzy, or send out overdone cards.

I'm not saying that Thanksgiving is not a lot of work, or that it doesn't present a burden for some people. But our family has found some ways to simplify the meal preparation and to share some of the work – and the fun – of the tasks among the whole family. And I don't pretend that my affinity for Thanksgiving has nothing to do with the food. I look forward to the smells and the sight and the taste. I look forward to sitting down in front of an empty plate, loading it up, and making it empty again.

But a good share of the pleasure I feel at that table comes from looking around it and seeing people I love, and being glad that they are here again this year.

I've said it before,and I'll say it again: I have so many things to be grateful for. And the closer I look at my life, the more blessings I find. My resolution for this Thanksgiving (yes, I can make Thanksgiving resolutions) is to continue to look for and feel gratitude for blessings but also to be more active and deliberate in expressing my gratitude – to family and friends, to doctors and grocery store baggers, and especially to my Heavenly Father.

So I'm starting right now: Thank you all. Thank you for reading my blog, for saying kind things about it, and for sharing it with others. It means a lot to me to know that my sometimes wandering thoughts can make people smile.