BLESSED THANKSGIVING

In Mary Jo Leddy’s book Radical Gratitude, she introduces the following phrase for reflection: “It would be enough if….” This is a wonderful way to fall into a spirit of gratitude. It would be enough if I owned a house to live in….but I have a garden and a wonderful view from my kitchen window.  

The media, the frantic pace of our lives and all the trauma that we see in our world can cause us to see through a glass darkly. Gratitude, the root word being “grace,” brings us to a much healthier place. It brings us to a way to live in love. 

The abundance in our lives is gifted to us by a love that is greater than human comprehension. If I woke up each morning and began to record every blessing I came across, there would be too many. The abundance that comes to us through this precious gift of life is too much to measure.

Thanksgiving Day gives us a chance to stop and reflect, although this is a practice that can be a healthy habit every day. The Hebrew term for gratitude is hakarat hatov, which translates as “recognizing the good” (that is already yours). Recognizing the good keeps us mindful of God’s steadfast love. 

May this holiday give all of us the chance to “Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever.”

Psalm 107.1

Here are some of my thoughts of gratitude: 

I see the good every day when the sun rises again. God is good. 

I recognize the good in laughing with lifelong friends, really hard!

I give thanks for being forgiven when I have lost my way. 

I see the good in the smiles of strangers, one person to another. 

I am thankful for my faith community. 

I am grateful for the love of family throughout my life. 

I am grateful for creativity and the arts.

I give thanks for the splendour of this fall season. 

I offer thanks for the many species with whom we share this planet. 

I am grateful for the miracles of my children and the joy that my grand-daughter brings. 

Thanks be to God, for he is good. I am grateful for his steadfast love which is everlasting.

Jan Bentham is a retired Religion Coordinator with the Ottawa Catholic School Board. She is a musician, serving in music ministry at St. Ignatius Parish in Ottawa. She currently works at St. Paul’s University with the Catholic Women’s Leadership Program.