Thanksgiving Evolution

When I was younger Thanksgiving was a holiday I never thought much about. When I was little and Thanksgiving would come around it represented family and food.


When I ventured into my teenage years, I developed the typical adolescent mentality of negativism. I regarded Thanksgiving as the precursor to Christmas. Something we had to get out of the way so we could finally put the tree up. I would often state Thanksgiving was my least favorite holiday.

When I got married and started a family of my own; my feelings towards Thanksgiving reverted back to my childhood feelings, except for us being away from family we soon had to replace that with friends. I looked forward to the time spent with friends and of course the table rich with Thanksgiving delights.

But after spending the last three Thanksgivings abroad I have come to view Thanksgiving in a whole new way. Of course my initial thoughts on food and friends remains the same, but it is the feelings that are different.


I have come to truly understand the story behind the holiday. I have come to acknowledge the exemplorary act of kindness the Wampanoag Indians and the famous Squanto had in reaching out and sharing their knowledge and saving the lives of the very people that came to stake claim of their land. How their hearts must have indeed been softened as they watched the pilgrims go through the first death rendering winter. And as those Pilgrims were placed into childlike position as they were taught the basic principles of farming on foreign soil. As they tasted for the first time the fruits of their labor, and how their hearts must have been bursting with gratitude as they watched their new but strange looking indigenous friends save their lives.


What an amazing holiday Thanksgiving truly is. A day that only we as Americans have to come together and reflect on the blessings we have been given throughout the year. The only one that holds no selfishness. The only holiday that gives us time to look around the table and express our gratitude out loud to all those whom are present. Gratitude, the real formula to leading a happier and more fulfilling life. Our beloved Prophet Gordon B. Hinckley shared his thoughts on the meaning of the word Gratitude once when he said,


"Cultivate a spirit of thanksgiving for the blessing of life and for the marvelous gifts and privileges each of us enjoy. The Lord has said that the meek shall inherit the earth. I cannot escape the interpretation that meekness implies a spirit of gratitude as opposed to an attitude of self-sufficiency, an acknowledgment of a greater power beyond oneself, a recognition of God, and an acceptance of his commandments. This is the beginning of wisdom. Walk with gratitude before him who is the giver of life and every good gift."


As I get to experience Thanksgiving again in the land that the Pilgrims once called home. I will do so with the Spirit of Gratitude. I am grateful for these years abroad that have opened my mind and my heart to the things of old, and of course to new and wonderful traditions. Also, to traditions that were once just a routine but are now essential and exciting. Happy Thanksgiving all!