"In daily life we must see that it is not happiness that makes us grateful, but gratefulness that makes us happy." -David Steindl-RastThanksgiving is a great holiday! A time set aside to focus on our blessings. The whole premise of hosting a feast around expressions of giving thanks - what a brilliant idea.
The roots and history of the 1st Thanksgiving are varied depending on which sources I check. Clearly the feast we consume today probably bears little resemblance to the original Thanksgiving in 1621.
For Seminary we've departed from church history curriculum this week to focus on gratitude. I noticed on Monday that just talking about being thankful with my students puts everyone in happier spirits. Stopping to take notice of good things in my life has a natural effect of making me feel grateful. It's almost a Pavlovian response. I guess I should probably do it more often!
"We often take for granted the very things that most deserve our gratitude." -Cynthia Ozick
