Thanksgiving Reflection

I wonder at how we hold the space for this day. On the one hand, it is lovely to set aside a day of and for expressing gratitude. At the same time, we as a society are more than ever fraught with division, if no outright mutual scorn. 

Thanksgiving Day has its origin as a national holiday from another time of great contention and greater bloodshed. While President Lincoln established the day as a national holiday on Thursday, November 26, 1863, he had issued earlier proclamations. As Heather Cox Richardson points out, these were morale boosters to the northern states but I would add that they served a broader purpose.

United in giving thanks can evoke a sense of appreciation for all things given us and this turn enriches our inner lives, if but for a moment. I believe Lincoln and others were aware of this, not the least of whom was Sarah Josepha Hale who lobbied Lincoln for establishing such a day. 

There is another layer to this day that has its roots in the so-called “first Thanksgiving” in 1620. There is far too much to go into about the very presence of the Pilgrims arrival and their meal with the Wampanoag Indians. I highly recommend reading and viewing the materials listed below for greater context and elucidation. 

It is not a stretch to say that the rhetoric that has come down to us regarding this day in our educational system is rife with racism and not mere inaccuracies but outright lies. 

Should that detract from a day dedicated to the theme of gratitude? I believe it should help us hone our sense of respect and look more deeply into how we can be more grateful for those who have fought for a more equitable world and a more just society. I believe that while it may mute somewhat the seemingly mandated gluttony and garrulousness, it would  be worth everyone’s time to reflect on what it means to carry gratitude into our world on a daily basis, if not a moment to moment one. 

I’ve enjoyed this day a lot through my life. Spending time with family all too infrequently seen, or the phone calls or now Zoom sessions when at a remove, is lovely and worthwhile. As for gratitude, I hope that it is genuinely in my heart and finds expression through whatever means at my disposal. 

There are people for whom and to whom I am grateful for more than I can say. For teachings, for food, for shelter, for love. I suspect you hold a similar vessel of gratitude. I wonder: can we extend it to the unseen? To the causes and conditions that preceded our arrival and continued existence in this sphere? 

Here’s a short meditation you can try. Bring to mind all the people you know who have directly helped you in some way. Try to get a sense of how they came into your world and you into theirs. Try to flesh out their histories, the triumphs, the tragedies, the painful and the happy moments. Rest in this awareness; if you need words, think “without these people and all that they’ve experienced, we would not be here, I would not be who I am, and despite how things can be rough and challenging, there is joy and love here throughout and this is much to be grateful for.” 

You can go farther, as well. Try to expand your awareness to the universe itself, all fourteen plus billion years of it. Does that sound strange? Grateful for a random event that seemingly by luck resulted in your being here? Why not? If you are a theist, this is probably easier for you. If you are not, why not express a little wonder and yes, offer thanks to that which flows through you right now. 

Sit with this for a while. When it comes time to move on to do other things and go about your day, offer a silent (or whispered or spoken aloud) “thank you.” Bring that with you throughout the day and you may find yourself silently sharing something more than you thought you had.

Additional reading/resources:

Hutton, Alice. The gooey overlay of sweetness over genocide’: the myth of the ‘first Thanksgiving’. The Guardian. November 25, 2021. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/nov/25/thanksgiving-myth-wampanoag-native-american-tribe

Lincoln, Abraham. Proclamation of Thanksgiving. Abraham Lincoln Online. http://www.abrahamlincolnonline.org/lincoln/speeches/thanks.htm

Norwood, Arlisha R. Sarah Josepha Hale. National Women’s History Museum. 2017. https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/sarah-hale

Richardson, Heather Cox. November 24, 2021. Letters from an American. https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/november-24-2021.

Schilling, Vincent. 6 Thanksgiving Myths and the Wampanoag Side of the Story. Indian Country Today. September 18, 2018 updated. https://indiancountrytoday.com/archive/6-thanksgiving-myths-share-them-with-someone-you-know