But at the same time, I've been thinking a lot lately about Thanksgiving in the midst of loss. That first Thanksgiving was born out of terrible loss. Huge numbers of the Pilgrims had died, and the original Thanksgiving celebrated the fact that some of them were still alive and had food for the coming winter. Not really about abundance and cornucopias.
In this morning's Columbus newspaper is a Thanksgiving story about a family whose toddler is alive because of an organ transplant, which of course was possible because of another family's terrible loss. Then the pre-game show for the NFL game featured a reunion of those whose lives were changed by transplants from a football player whose mother made the choice to donate his organs after he was killed in a terrible accident. And as a pastor I have regularly observed how people preparing for funerals often discover that this is the first time they have paused long enough to really remember and recall a loved one. The thanks and gratitude of such moments is often poignant, and sometimes tinged with regret.
We live in a culture of accumulation and consumerism, and we often connect Thanksgiving with abundance. But I do not think abundance produces the deepest thanks, something the writer of Psalm 116 seem acutely aware of. I hope that is something I can keep in mind as I enjoy my Thanksgiving meal this evening.
This Thanksgiving, I pray that you have the time to pause, take stock, and give thanks for those deepest blessings of life.
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