Thanksgiving Reflection
Thanksgiving has always been a big deal in my family. My parents would go all out cooking for family and friends. We would have a feast fit for a king that you would need two plates just so that you could taste everything. We would gather for prayer and then dig in until we had our fill and then sit around and recall and remember everything we are thankful for as a family. There would be laughter, joy, hugs and a day filled with happy memories.
I recall the year my father lost his job right before Thanksgiving and felt that it was not going to be the same that year. Money was tight and there was fear and worry about bills and what the future would hold. As a child I was so excited that I won a turkey and was able to bring it home. Even during that uncertainty, we as family celebrated Thanksgiving. We gathered with that same laughter, joy, hugs and having my parents helping us believe in all that we must be thankful for.
I know that many of us in our world are struggling right now with everything that is going on in our world. This pandemic has started the world in a tailspin of worry and fear. The world of politics has brought about a rift of division of family and friends. Many are worried about what the future holds. We are told that we can not gather, hug and that everything is going to be different this year.
I believe it does not have to be. We still have so many things that we should be thankful for. We have the gift of family. Yes, this year we might be separated from gathering, but we still have family. We can pick up a phone, we can ZOOM or Facetime, and share a laugh or two filled with love and joy. We have friends and our lives are so blessed by their love and fellowship. Most importantly we have the gift of our faith. Faith tells us that God has blessed our lives with his love.
As I am writing this reflection, I am mindful of how thankful I am for all of you at Praise and Worship. We started this community on Thanksgiving Day 14 years ago. Today, we are a church on fire for the love of God. We can grow in the gift of our faith and fellowship with one another as we continue to build up our relationship with the Lord.
May this Thanksgiving be a time that we remember how God has blessed all our lives. Let us reach out and share a memory or two with family and friends. Let us send a virtual hug and a laugh to someone we really care about. Most importantly, let us give thanks to God for blessing all our lives. Happy Thanksgiving!!!