Thanksgiving. It’s a time of year for us to pay particularly close attention to the things we are thankful for and reflect on the blessings of life.
The world moves fast, technology advances incessantly, and our culture is becoming less reflective and more driven.
Are you celebrating Thanksgiving this week? If you are, maybe you are fortunate to gather with close friends and relatives or are donating your time to feed the hungry. Maybe, you are reading this while serving time in one of our nation’s countless prisons or jails. Whether you are, whatever you are doing, let me encourage you to use this time to give thanks and reflect.
When Native Americans and pilgrims gathered together for that first meal they did so gratefully and humbly. Prayers were said. They had known hard times in the past and more were to come, but on that day – they were grateful for the present.
To me, that’s what Thanksgiving is all about – being grateful and giving thanks. Therefore, as I type this editorial lounging comfortably in my den, I can’t help but feel a bit irritated by the commercials on television promoting Black Friday sales that begin as early as 5 p.m. Thursday, Thanksgiving Day.
Black Friday is the biggest shopping day of the year, yet that’s not enough for some retailers. They want more customers, more sales so they start earlier and earlier, ignoring the cultural significance of this American holiday and also the needs of their own employees.
Soon, Thanksgiving – the gathering of gratitude with friends and families – may be wholly eclipsed by consumerism, and recede as a mere memory, one of those “remember when…” stories that reminisce on things of yesteryear.
Shame on you, retailers for disregarding the sanctity of Thanksgiving!
Shame on you for forcing employees into unfair, even conflicting situations by making them choose holiday work over time with others or even reflective solitude.
And shame on you, if you are one of those consumers who will choose to cancel out time with family and friends, in search of that trendy electronic item or “hot” toy. You may live to regret your decision and your priorities.
In the past several days, people close to me have found themselves in challenging and painful situations. For some, it was the death of a loved one (I know four people who have lost a close relative within the past week). For others, it was families caring for ill relatives, even a mother forced to leave her child with family while she pursued a job in a different state.
All these instances make this time of year particularly hard.
Nothing is promised in life, and times can be very challenging, which is all the more reason we need to slow down and appreciate those small, but important things in life.
Thanksgiving happens once a year – one day out of 365. Shouldn’t we be able to take a chill pill that day? Shouldn’t we be able to enjoy family, food and fellowship without being lured to stores in search of something that is sure to be available the following day?
In this week’s paper, you’ll find the Indianapolis Recorder Newspaper team interview with the Murray family. Our talented writers detail the family and the community’s commitment to a teenager who was diagnosed with Stevens-Johnson Syndrome this summer. The young lady, Lauren, was literally in the fight for her life, yet her family and community rallied in support of her. By God’s grace Lauren’s health was restored and she’s essentially back to normal.
I’m sure when Lauren and her family were in the thick of the struggle and unsure what the next hour, days and weeks would bring; the only thing that mattered was family. The most important thing to them was getting Lauren healthy. I’m sure while Lauren’s parents always knew life is short and things can change in an instant, that knowledge was magnified as their daughter lay helpless in a hospital bed fighting for her life.
And I’m sure the emotional, financial and physical challenges that family endured during Lauren’s road to recovery have made this week even more meaningful to the Murrays. And when they give thanks on Thursday, that gratitude will be spirit-filled not only because of what they endured, but what they as a family and a community overcame.
I pray God’s blessings onto the Murray family and everyone reading these words. Happy Thanksgiving!
