Originally published Friday, 27 November 2015.
The turkey and potatoes have been shoved
into used sour cream containers
and stacked in the refrigerator.
The family has smiled together
for pictures, packed their bags,
and headed back to routine.
It’s the week after Thanksgiving.
Just a few days ago,
we sat with family and friends
and renewed our commitment to be thankful.
We remembered the reasons we praise God,
the big ones and the little ones. We satisfied
our spirits and stomachs with abundance
and counted blessings.
And the fullness lingered for a day, maybe two.
Then, the leftovers disappear and
the pictures get buried on our newsfeeds.
But may there be more that lingers this year.
May the little things
be cherished,
and the warmth of family
be kept close.
May whispered thanks
overshadow the grumbles
of discontent.
May real joy
be pursued-
never traded off for the flashes
of happiness.
May simplicity be simply enough.
May thankfulness be an intentional action,
this giving of thanks,
in the midst real living and real
surviving.
May we be
a thankful people,
a grateful people, and not just
full people.
Real lives,
with wounds and scars, joys and victories,
who determine to bat their way through
the heaviness in order to focus on the light,
on hope,
on God,
day in and day out.
This year, may Thanksgiving last long and mark
a beginning of gratitude-clinging
for me and for you.
This year, may our hearts celebrate
routinely
and resolutely
that which cannot eaten up
or used up -
but the One who is worthy
of being lifted up –
Jesus.
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