“A Grateful
Heart”
Thanksgiving
2014
I’ve been thinking a
lot lately about what it means to be thankful, and not because it’s that time
of year again where we often stop, take a much-needed breath in our busy lives,
and reflect. What does it mean to have a
grateful heart, not gilded by the need for reason and significance, expected in
reciprocation for good deeds, or overshadowed by humbling loss or sacrifice? How can I have a free and open heart, a peace
that comes with trust – trust in oneself, trust in humanity, trust in a higher
power?
Frankly, I think it’s
easier to be thankful when it comes with parameters. I am
thankful today because, well, it’s Thanksgiving, a day to be thankful. Or, I’m
thankful in spite of… whatever circumstances we’re in at the moment. And in life, there always are
circumstances. There’s suffering,
there’s sadness. There are the things we
want and don’t have. There’s a whole lot
to understand, to gripe about, to push through, to make it to another,
hopefully better, day. Yet even then, I’m thankful that I’m healthier, safer, better
off… because how does that saying go?
There’s always someone worse off than you.
But being thankful,
with no strings attached… that can take alittle more. Like a leap of faith. A liberating proposition, being able to be
content without being tied to obligation or supposition.
Our gospel lesson last
Sunday was from Matthew 25, the parable of the sheep and goats. At first glance, it seems that this message
is about achieving salvation by doing good works. Instead, we learn that the path of
righteousness is not by keeping score, but by faith and loving one another,
treating our neighbors with kindness and compassion, not by what we seek to
gain by giving.
This passage reminds me
that I am loved, simply and deeply, without attachments. The thought is comforting because I realize
that I can do the same. To love, to want
for nothing, to know that I am already blessed with so, so much.
So today, I am thankful. I’m thankful for an adoring husband, who
loves me like no one can. I’m thankful
for our angel babies, who’ve always been with us. I’m thankful for my loving, supportive
parents, who will forever take care of us, probably when we least expect it and
especially when we need it. I’m thankful
for my beautiful sisters, both inside and out, who’ve been my sidekicks since
they were born. I’m thankful for my
wonderfully generous in-laws, who really never stop giving or helping or
cooking for us. I’m thankful for my
amazing sister-in-law, who’s shown me what it means to have courage and
persistence. I’m thankful for my
resourceful brother-in-law who takes care of my sister and our family in his
own understated way. I’m thankful for an
incredible grandmother who I can call my own, who manages to still surprise me
and who always seeks a smile.
I’m thankful for
family. I’m thankful for those who are
like family.
Today, I am thankful.
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