Fresh-baked bannock feeds body and soul–worthy of heartfelt thanks

Approx. read time: 2:10 min.

Giving thanks. I don’t do it nearly often enough.

I think this every year as Thanksgiving Day approaches, and I feel overcome by a case of the guilties.

And yet, I think: How small, that we set aside a day—a day!—to pause, remember, and give thanks, for material things and invisible supports that we literally cannot live without.

“Well, we should give thanks every day!” I say in a self-righteous huff.

Which brings me back to my overwhelming case of the guilties.

Yet this is what I know: Giving thanks is one of the beautiful things about being human. The soul expands. Eyes and heart are opened. I remember that I am not sufficient unto myself. I need you, … and you, … and you!

I need what I cannot purchase: fresh air, pure water, the solace of friends, the kindness of strangers. 

I need mercy! 

I need the faithfulness and skill and generosity of people on whom I depend, whether I know them or not, see them or not, share their continent or speak their language, or not.

My religious tradition has formed me to pause before each meal, no matter small or large, whether taken in private or consumed in public spaces, and to give thanks. Not on the run, but with intention, with heart.

It feels good to pause and give thanks, and to humbly remember that I am not the source of all my sustenance. I am not God. I’m just me, laboring and loving and hoping, just like you.

So I begin to wonder: Beyond giving thanks, what are some other beautiful things about being human? I share this list with you.

1. Living generously, just because I can
2. Choosing to live a little bit vulnerable, so that others have room enough to be
3. Receiving the love of others, while knowing full well my own failings and flaws
4. Giving love to others, because love is Life—for others and for me
5. Forgiving others, because not even I can live up to my impeccable standards
6. Receiving the forgiveness of others, which threads me back into the fabric of humanity
7. Living in kinship, in kindness, recognizing, at last, that we are all of a kind, kindred, strangers no more

What’s your practice of giving thanks? And how do you feel when you do it? Let me know. I’d love to hear from you!

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Honestly, there is so much good. And just enough time to give thanks for it all!