Perhaps it’s intentional that we end each year with special celebrations.
We get together with family and friends. We plan who will make each pie and casserole. We pour through our favorite recipes enjoying the thought that we might just outdo ourselves this year. We call a truce on family conflicts and do all we can to simply make it special to be together. Some of us travel to see our relatives, some of us make “family” out of the people around us. Whichever way we manage it, we enjoy the idea of gathering together to ask the Lord’s blessing as the old song says.
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Valuing others
We honor those occasions for a lot of reasons, but one thing is certain. It’s not about who can make the best turkey, or whose apple pie is worthy of a blue ribbon. It’s simply about showing the people we’re with that we value them, care about their lives, and enjoy simply being together. Thanksgiving and Christmas may have a lot of traditions and festivities that have nothing to do with faith, but they have everything to do with love.
We love to come together and share the blessings God has given us all throughout the year. We open our eyes and our hearts to see more clearly the things that are special about the people around us.
We’ve all lived through the isolation that comes from pandemics and illness. We know what it’s like to spend our days alone because our loved ones have nearly all passed on. We recognize the brevity of life and how much we appreciate the time we have to share our joys and sorrows.
Most of us know that the best conversations usually happen around a dinner table. All we have to do is be there for one another, ready to listen, and open to knowing each other better. The holidays at the end of the year are the ones that remind us how incredibly blessed we are to spend time with the people who know us so well or who want to know us better.
‘Continual feast’
Whether you gather with your own family or become part of a “family” with the people in your neighborhood or church, there’s nothing quite as delightful as sharing a bountiful meal and creating sweet memories. Thanksgiving may be the one time of year when we consciously gather with people we love and share stories of why we are thankful for one another. We count our blessings, knowing we’ve overcome challenges, grown a bit, and flourished in new ways.
Wherever you gather this Thanksgiving, and whatever your traditions may be, may you reflect a moment on the blessing that happens all across America as people gather with hearts of gratitude to share their own recipes for love and give God the glory.
Proverbs 15:15 says that a “happy heart is like a continual feast.” May your Thanksgiving feast remind you God fills your hearts with continual blessings.
EDITOR’S NOTE — This story was written by Karen Moore and appeared first on Karen Moore’s website.
