Not Just Because it's Thanksgiving Day

I've especially reverenced the traditional Thanksgiving Day celebration and all the excitement that preceded it. Shopping for the feast (with an eye toward post-Thanksgiving leftover meals and snacks.  Cooking the cornbread (for dressing) boiling elbow macaroni; shredding or slicing assorted cheeses; blending milk or cream, eggs, and spices for MacnCheese.  Peeling and boiling sweet and white potatoes for candied yams or sweet potato pies and creamy, dreamy mashed potatoes.  

De-stemming, washing, and cutting collards, mustard, turnips, and spinach greens.  For the mixed greens dish.  And that's not all: relish trays,  cobblers, "angel eggs, " cranberry sauce, yeast rolls, a cornucopia of desserts, and varied drinks all figure prominently in the offerings.  Not to mention the dusting, vacuuming, cleaning of everything but the attic; and dressing the best table with heirloom coverings, linen, and candles.  And no, I'm not tired yet!   

It happens whether you're a working-outside-the-home or a stay-at-home-mom, the tradition remains the same.  Dexterity,  creativity, and ingenuity empower us to get it all done; we're always happy for the help, of course! I think I've portrayed why we so treasured the Day.  Perhaps, however, not everyone feels this way.  Curiosity forces me to question if I speak for the majority.  Does our celebration of Thanksgiving Day accurately capture the gratitude and thanksgiving that undergird the seminal meaning of the Nation's annual commemoration on the fourth Thursday of November?

The seminal question remains, however.  Do I know both the definition and underlying meaning of "thanks' or "gratitude" or "thanksgiving," a solid dictionary definition of the words? Or,  have I ingested and digested the words so that I manifest their meanings in my mundane activities?  Do I awaken early every morning thinking an esoteric entity caused "my eyes to open to a brand new day," as the deacons in my childhood church would thank God for? Or do I think an amorphous "it" did it?  Do I express gratitude only when I am the receiver? Does my giving of thanks ring heartfelt and true?

Or, do I take most everything for granted as if it's my "due"?

Do I "give thanks to the Lord for He is good and His mercy is everlasting?" I won't quibble about what you call Him; I call Him God, Jesus Christ, and Holy Spirit.  Or do I ake the largess, the bounty, that abounds in my life, for granted? Do I even say "Thank you" for the basics that sustain life and so much more? Do I blithely meander along expecting that tomorrow will provide more than today has? 1 Thessalonians 5:18 reminds me "give thanks in all circumstances, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you."

Further, a song that reverberates in my spirit reminds me "Give thanks with a grateful heart, Give thanks to the Holy One.  Give thanks because He's given Jesus Christ, His Son.  And now let the weak say, "I am strong," Let the poor say, "I am rich, Because of what the Lord has done for you."

Just asking.