There are certain traditions and foods - prepared in very specific ways - that we associate with holiday meals. I’ve come to realize that these things are different for everyone, and that we tend to hold onto them rather tightly. Hence the sweet potatoes prepared in three different ways at some family feasts. When I think of Thanksgiving, my senses are immediately filled with memories of everything mentioned above. But I also think of my family’s tradition of going around the table before the meal and saying what we are thankful for. An unsuspecting guest at our table might get caught off guard by this practice, but it was always included, right before the prayer. In the past few years through social media, I’ve noticed that people have extended this practice of naming gratitude to the entire month of November. On Facebook, many people post something that they are thankful for each and every day. I believe this helps people intentionally focus on gratitude and go beyond the “I’m thankful for my family” or “I’m grateful for this bountiful feast” that usually come up when people are excitedly awaiting their first bite of gravy-laden turkey.
At St. Martin’s many of our children learn the basic prayer form of thanking and asking prayers, wherein we begin by naming things we’re thankful for - blessings that God has bestowed upon us - and then name things we’d like to ask God for (which often range from “a new rocket ship” to “my neighbor who is sad because her cat died.”) My family has started using this practice at home before meals and at bedtime. It’s not just a simple practice that my nearly-3-year-old can grasp; I’ve found that it’s also a helpful discipline for me. Sometimes in the midst of a difficult week, I am challenged to articulate something for which I’m grateful. Having to do this on a regular basis opens me up to experiencing and acknowledging gratitude more readily.
On Saturday morning, I awoke before the sun to drive my husband to catch a 7 a.m. train out of 30th Street Station. As I drove home, I was suddenly filled with an overwhelming sense of gratitude: the sunrise was casting pinks and purples over the city and creating unique lines in the sky; a single rower was silhouetted against the Schuylkill River; and as I navigated the curves of Lincoln Drive, a gust of wind sent hundreds of leaves swirling around me. Instead of grumbling about not getting to sleep in or anticipating the potential complications of three days of solo parenting, my heart was bursting with joy and appreciation that I got to be me, seeing what I was seeing and feeling what I was feeling at that exact moment. I thanked God for opening my eyes and heart to Her abundant and beautiful presence all around me.
This Thursday, as I reminisce over the burned biscuits of Thanksgivings past and take stock of my blessings over the past year, I pray that I am overcome with this same gratitude. I pray that I remember not just the obvious and expected thanksgivings but the many small moments that fill me with the Spirit each and every day.
What will you thank God for?
- The Rev. Callie Swanlund
