Written for last thanksgiving 2021, but not published…Nicolas L. Behrmann

Perhaps Thanksgiving has always been a complicated celebration. The mix of Native American and pilgrim cultures must have been a difficult experience for all.

 In recent times, the logistics of travel, the diversity of family members, food preferences and allergies have added levels of complexity to those moments during which we might traditionally share the experience of expressing our thankfulness.

How different this Thanksgiving promises to be in so many of our lives. Added to the pitfalls of dealing with political differences within families is the practical matter of masks and vaccinations. Consideration this year must be given to those family members and friends who have been in situations not considered “safe” by others, in the days leading up to Thanksgiving. Will this be another year when so many of us will be alone or with only our spouse or significant other, partaking in the Thanksgiving specials of our favorite grocery or restaurant?

What then should we be thankful for this Thanksgiving? Might I suggest that we should be thankful for the very ability to be grateful? Abraham Joshua Heschel has noted the verse from Psalms, ‘the dead do not praise the Lord’ and commented on the significance for us: ‘the spiritually dull cannot praise the Lord.” Whether we use religious language in our prayers or “to whom it may concern,” our awareness of having matters worthy of giving thanks is vital to our well-being!

Common to religious/spiritual traditions is the recitation of a blessing or meditation before eating. Whether the formal appreciation of the “God who brings forth bread from the earth” or the summer camp formula, “rub a dub dub, thanks for the grub, Yea God,” such expression emphasizes our humanity.

In the Jewish tradition, partaking of food without acknowledgment is akin to stealing. Even a momentary pause of silence before putting a morsel in our mouths satisfies payment for the bounties of physical nourishment. 

Whether alone, with our significant others, or in a communal setting, Thanksgiving can be a powerful moment in our lives. We take so much for granted.

Thanksgiving could be a period during which we pause to make lists, actual or mental, of people, places, objects, achievements, obstacles overcome during this past year. Such an activity would indeed qualify as a down payment for enjoying life.

I have always found the ritual of sharing specific thankfulness around the celebratory table, with its wine and traditional dishes, to be soul-satisfying. The joy of a grandchild’s achievement, the relief of a parent’s recovery, the spouse’s pride in his partner’s job, the anticipation of the culinary prowess of the host, the smile of a child.. all these prepare the soul for the nourishment that will be served.

So, again, whether alone or with others, let us start with the thanks-giving that we are able to give thanks. Let us start with the words ‘‘as we prepare for this Thanksgiving, we are thankful for..” and see what words follow from our very being!