I know of many people who do not like the concept of "Mothers' Day", "Valentine's Day", etc. Agreed that those "days" have been commercialized a lot by the card companies, but I still see no harm in setting aside a day to be grateful for a loved one. Yes, it's true that it's your behavior (or relationship) over the entire span of a year that counts, but having a special day means nothing bad to the relationship either. Going by the same argument, we should be praying and thinking of God everyday, why set aside a single day for Puja or Christmas or any festival for that matter?
I didn't mean to start the post with an argument, but these are the things that came to my mind while thinking of Thanksgiving. The turkey day is coming up fast. My first Thanksgiving meal, five years back was a disaster. No one told me that there's gravy to go with the turkey so I had the turkey by itself and was thinking hard why people rave about this horribly bad tasting thing! Then there was a half cooked sweet corn which I would prefer not to think about now :) The best part of that meal was when everyone stood in a circle round the dinner table and said what they are grateful for. I later saw the same thing at my friendship partner's house (that meal there was awesome) and at a cousin's house too. Even though we are grateful for the good things around us all through the year, it is a good practice to pause and reflect on those on the day of Thanksgiving.
We generally get upset or tend to be irritated by simple things. In that way we miss out on the bright side. I know it is difficult to think of the bright side at times, but just give it some thought. If you are stuck on your way to work, it's raining and you are sure that by no means can you be present at the meeting by 9, I know it's really difficult to see the glass half full. But think - this means you have a job, you are attending a meeting means you have been trusted with some responsibilities at the job and if you are stuck in traffic, that means you have a car and are not walking in the rain! This is just a basic example. There are LOTS of stuff to be thankful for.
The most important one is that we are still alive - hale and hearty! For a roof over our heads and a family to share that house with. Unconditional love of our children and pets. Friends to laugh with and a job to sustain us. Coworkers who make the 9-5 time much fun. Time to pursue hobbies and interests, nice places to visit and enjoy... All people around the world can't even dream of some things that we take for granted. So once you realize how fortunate you are, it's time you spend some thought and actions in making the lives of others a little comfortable.
As we get ready to gather around the stuffed turkey, green bean casseroles and pecan pies, I am reminded of a little grace I used to say in nursery school right before eating lunch - "Thank you for the world so sweet, thank you for the food we eat, thank you for the birds that sing, thank you God for everything."
Have a happy Thanksgiving!
I didn't mean to start the post with an argument, but these are the things that came to my mind while thinking of Thanksgiving. The turkey day is coming up fast. My first Thanksgiving meal, five years back was a disaster. No one told me that there's gravy to go with the turkey so I had the turkey by itself and was thinking hard why people rave about this horribly bad tasting thing! Then there was a half cooked sweet corn which I would prefer not to think about now :) The best part of that meal was when everyone stood in a circle round the dinner table and said what they are grateful for. I later saw the same thing at my friendship partner's house (that meal there was awesome) and at a cousin's house too. Even though we are grateful for the good things around us all through the year, it is a good practice to pause and reflect on those on the day of Thanksgiving.
We generally get upset or tend to be irritated by simple things. In that way we miss out on the bright side. I know it is difficult to think of the bright side at times, but just give it some thought. If you are stuck on your way to work, it's raining and you are sure that by no means can you be present at the meeting by 9, I know it's really difficult to see the glass half full. But think - this means you have a job, you are attending a meeting means you have been trusted with some responsibilities at the job and if you are stuck in traffic, that means you have a car and are not walking in the rain! This is just a basic example. There are LOTS of stuff to be thankful for.
The most important one is that we are still alive - hale and hearty! For a roof over our heads and a family to share that house with. Unconditional love of our children and pets. Friends to laugh with and a job to sustain us. Coworkers who make the 9-5 time much fun. Time to pursue hobbies and interests, nice places to visit and enjoy... All people around the world can't even dream of some things that we take for granted. So once you realize how fortunate you are, it's time you spend some thought and actions in making the lives of others a little comfortable.
As we get ready to gather around the stuffed turkey, green bean casseroles and pecan pies, I am reminded of a little grace I used to say in nursery school right before eating lunch - "Thank you for the world so sweet, thank you for the food we eat, thank you for the birds that sing, thank you God for everything."
Have a happy Thanksgiving!
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