As the United States prepares for the celebration of Thanksgiving, what do YOU think it truly means? Many feel it’s a time to spend with friends and family while consuming a lot of food! Is that your interpretation of Thanksgiving?
Thanksgiving in the United States is a national holiday that celebrates the harvest, the unity of the Pilgrims and Wampanoag people, and a time to give thanks for the year’s blessings. The holiday commemorates the 1621 feast shared by the Wampanoag people and the Pilgrims, which symbolized peace and goodwill between the two cultures. Thanksgiving is celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November and is often celebrated with a large turkey dinner, pumpkin pie, and other traditional fare. Thanksgiving is rooted in harvest festivals, where people express gratitude for a bountiful harvest. Thanksgiving is a time to express gratitude for the good things in life and to share a traditional meal with family and friends. Thanksgiving can also be a time to serve others in the community. However, some Native Americans consider Thanksgiving to be a time of grief and have publicly mourned on the holiday for decades. Some say that the holiday has marginalized the violence and cruelty that the US has inflicted on Native Americans. In 1970, Aquinnah Wampanoag activist Frank James helped establish a National Day of Mourning in Plymouth, Massachusetts, where Native Americans gather to remember the millions of Indigenous people who were killed by European colonists.
Thanksgiving, at its core, is an expression of gratitude, a virtue that resonates deeply in spiritual teachings across various faiths. Gratitude is not merely a courteous acknowledgment of blessings; it is a profound recognition of the divine benevolence that permeates every aspect of our lives. The spiritual meaning for Thanksgiving is primarily representing moments to express gratitude and thankfulness to a higher power which I refer to as God for the blessings in your life! Thanksgiving Day is a chance to ask God for forgiveness for our sins, repent for our disobedience, and express gratitude for all He has given us! Thanksgiving is depicted as a form of worship, transcending the material offering to a deeper level, more profound acknowledgement of God’s providence!
However, wouldn’t it be wonderful if we would live in a world of thanksgiving, EVERY DAY?!!! So during this time of getting together with friends, family and feasting, please take time to be grateful and give thanks to all that you do have. Do you have a roof over your head? I safe place to live? Clothes to wear? Are you able to eat, empty your bladder and bowels? Do you have air to breath and water to drink? Enough money to buy food? Do you have food? Will you be with love ones.
You see during this holiday it is not about the material things and having enough money to purchase a massive feast. It’s about being thankful for what you do have as many are not as lucky as you. And final question. Do YOU have a believe in a higher power that can and will help you with all of your needs and desires. If so please remember to give thanks!
