I will frankly admit that a few days back when October turned into November I experienced a slight ting of panic. When I was a boy it seemed Thanksgiving was slow in getting here and after Thanksgiving, Christmas came even more slowly. Not anymore. The time has come in my life where time truly does fly.
The sense of panic overcame me because Thanksgiving, then less than four weeks away, would be upon me before I knew it. It was coming too fast. I found myself wishing things would slow down a bit. The world has just gotten itself in too big a hurry.
I also found myself fearing that Thanksgiving Day would come and go and I might miss fully experiencing the depth of its meaning - that I would be too caught up in the busyness of life to truly be thankful.
To a great extent, the speed of life has robbed us of time for reflection. Deep reflection requires time and quiet. Along with life’s accelerated pace has come more noise. Many voices demand our attention . . . social voices, political voices, religious voices, corporate voices, family voices, entertainment voices, evil voices, financial voices, voices of fear . . . the voices are endless and loud. Among the den of loud voices another voice, a quiet voice, whispers, “Be still, and know that I am God.”
So I’ve had to give myself “a talking to.” I will take the time to prepare my mind and my heart for Thanksgiving.
First, I will consider Thanksgivings of the past. I will recall faces that can no longer be seen . . . happy faces, smiling faces, saintly faces, faces of men and women who made my life better . . . who made the world a better place. I will give thanks for their lives.
I will revisit my deep affection for my country, the United States of America, “the land of the free and the home of the brave.” And I will bask in the glow of the knowledge that I have lived out my life as a free man.
I will recall the countless numbers of those who gave their lives on freedom’s alter, and all the others who bore an incalculable cost of grief and sacrifice for liberties sake. And I will be as thankful for them as I am capable.
And I will think of my family. I will consider each one who will be gracing my home with a visit on Thanksgiving Day. I will consider each one separately and think about their life. I will be thankful for their unique strengths. And I will, by design, spend individual time with each one Thanksgiving Day. And when I hug them and tell them I love them I will be the last one to let go.
Before Thanksgiving Day arrives, I’ll make a detailed list of things for which I am grateful. It’s another way of saying I will count my blessings. Among those blessings are my friends. I’ll call a few of them up and tell them how I feel about them . . . that I am thankful for them.
I’ll also take some time to reflect on the past year. I’ve enjoyed excellent health this year. That’s not to say I haven’t been to the doctor’s office a few times. When you get to my age there are some inconveniences that must be dealt with, healthwise. Diet, exercise, and weight loss will correct most of them . . . almost.
And as I stop and look back over the years of my life, I will be thankful for the rough rows I have hoed. There have not been many, but there have been some. I am grateful for what they taught me.
On Thanksgiving Day, may I have a heart like the first Pilgrims . . . grateful to be here, grateful for God’s provisions, grateful for the memory of friends gone on, grateful for a newfound freedom to worship, grateful to God.
I have it planned. Lord willing, on Thanksgiving Day morning, I will arise just before daylight and I will kneel at the rising of the sun, and I will offer a prayer of thanksgiving to the God of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob; and the Father of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours.
Copyright 2024 by Jack McCall
