Celebrate thanksgiving every day

FOOTSTEPS AND FINGERPRINTS
by: NANCY RUSSELL CATAN

I am in a quandary as I begin this column. What to write about … Thanksgiving or Advent. Thanksgiving Day was observed in the United States last Thursday while Advent begins today. And yet, as I reflect, both of these special times of the year are ones that we should celebrate and be thankful for.

Growing up in the United States, in the state of Vermont, I always looked forward to Thanksgiving Day every 4th Thursday of November. We gathered either at our home or at my aunt’s home for the Thanksgiving Meal. After eating while the grownups visited and caught up on family happenings, we children played games and tried to behave ourselves. This is a big family day in the states, perhaps similar to Nov 1 here in the Philippines.

A time for renewing family bonds and friendships, a time for sharing experiences, difficulties and blessings, and a time for thanking the Lord for His abundant blessings received throughout the year.

Originally Thanksgiving was a harvest festival with the pilgrims thanking God for arriving safely in the New World and providing them with abundant food and livelihood in the new land.

Advent is also, in a way, a period of thanksgiving. We prepare for the faith celebration of Christmas. It is also a time of family bonding and friendships (think Misa de Gallo, going to the carnival, parties, caroling in the cool evenings, checking out those awesome Christmas lights and decorations, etc.), a time for sharing (think gift giving, shopping for just the right present, walking the Boulevard in the crisp December dawn with your sweetheart, etc.). And above all, a time to prepare ourselves to thank God for his son Jesus and the example set for us by the Holy Family.

We all need days of thanksgiving in our lives, in our families, among our friends. We sometimes forget to count our blessings and thank God for the goodness we have received, the people who have helped us survive, for friendships new and renewed, and for prayers answered in the year just past. A day of thanksgiving reminds us to give thanks where it is due.

Sarah Ban Breathnach in her book Simple Abundance recommends that at the end of each day we list down five things in that day that we are grateful for. The catch here is that we should not repeat ourselves with the same things listed day after day. This would mean at the end of one month we would have listed 150 things we are thankful for; in one year we would have 1,825 things for which we are thankful.

Wow! That is really celebrating the spirit of thanksgiving every day! Since I began doing this, I have become more aware of the blessings that surround me every moment. The flowering vine in my garden welcomed me this morning with a single glorious blossom, its first since I planted it early last year. I had a good night’s sleep last night, even sleeping late this morning, after experiencing insomnia for several nights. There are four little birds singing cheerily in the tree right outside my window while I am typing my column.

Three blessings and the day is not yet over!

The reverse side of this gratefulness exercise is to find five ways every day to be a channel of blessing to someone else. Advent is such a great season to practice this discipline. How can you be a channel of blessing to another? By a smile and an offer to help: babysit, shop or run an errand, prepare a special meal for the family, clean house, or decorate for the holidays, or even just stopping a minute to say “hi”. By lending a listening ear and a shoulder to cry on when someone is hurt and having a difficult time. By random acts of kindness and generosity, done sincerely and lovingly from your heart.

Truly this is a season to celebrate as we open our eyes and our hearts to a new awareness of everything around us, with us, and in us that we should be thankful for! May all our todays … and tomorrows … be genuine days of thanksgiving!