For many people in this country Christmas is about gifts and Thanksgiving is about food. Turkey is the traditional focus but my family did not like the smell of the meat cooking. Therefore, we had ham. One year my younger sister received a turkey as a gift from work. We roasted it. When we finished no one knew what to do with it. We just stood in a circle and stared. Finally, someone took a less than sharp knife and gouged it into lumps that were not pretty but were edible.
When I was about seven years old we celebrated Thanksgiving at my grandmother’s. We had a white tablecloth, silver utensils, fancy china and crystal glasses. I don’t remember the food but I remember that my cousins were there. We did not see them often so it was special.
Ultimately, the celebration is about the people and the thing that holds us together is our “attitude of gratitude”. You have heard it often. We have it hanging on a wall at the monastery. This is the season to discover and heighten our attitude. Because we can control our attitude we can increase our gratitude. We are grateful for the one who carves the turkey. We thank God for all that befalls throughout our life not just at thanksgiving but forever. We build good relations when we say “thank you.”
