Gving Myself The Gift

  Thanksgiving is finally here and I am living a day that I  have dreamed about for months.  We would have a family walk in the woods before the usual feast. Our son Adam is in from Chicago for the holiday and he is itching for his first Winter hike. Along with our daughter Sarah, her boyfriend Tim, Sue & I we would attempt Mt. Jackson.  Mother Nature would have some other ideas, and the 2 inches of rain that fell yesterday would be a river of ice by the summit, but I shall save the trip details for another time.  Suffice it to say Papa was in his glory, surrounded by my dear loved ones and getting to go for  a beautiful walk in the mountains  instead of television staring.  As this was our first Thanksgiving Family Hike I had plenty to ponder, especially as I strolled hills that were once settled by folks that were violently removed from these lands. Between this dark thought and the brilliant light of family joy my rainbow of feelings ran the full spectrum today.

  Today is our day to give thanks.  It is in the name of the holiday after all.  Around tables loaded with absurd quantities of food someone raised a glass, said a few words of gratitude, and feasting commences.  We proceed to enjoy a warm meal in the company of friends and family.  Stories are told, laughter surrounds the dinner table, plates are cleared while desserts are readied.  And as we loosen our belts for this yearly demonstration of excess a question always comes to my mind.

  Are we really 'giving thanks' on this day ?  And better, to whom are we giving it to ?

  Giving thanks is more than just words to be uttered.  Certainly it's a concept that should not be confined to one day.  And before I agitate my few followers of this blog I will assume that we all give thanks in many ways thru out the year, and need no reminders from Big Dave to do so.  I get that.    And when some of us give thanks it may be to G-d for blessing them.  But if it is G-d that we are thanking, would not the next logical question than be;

  How do we give thanks ?

  It is possible to enjoy this day and think of those less fortunate.  Guilt does not, and should not, be part of the equation.  Our good fortune is just that, nothing more or less.  And most definitely there are ways to make our blessings grow.  When we get to share with those who have less our fortune is multiplied.  When we give of ourselves we always receive more than we gave.  When we reach out to those who cannot we are rewarded with dividends that banks and portfolio mangers can't touch.  Because when we Give Thanks, and not merely say the words, we have given the richest gift in the world to ourselves, The Gift of Humanity.  This Christmas I will be at The Little Brown Church in Conway, helping to feed too many lonely and hungry people that deserve warmth and love as much as I do.  And I am well aware that the Gift will be Mine.