Everyday Should Be Thanksgiving Day!

I am sitting here in my study on Thanksgiving morning. I just finished my morning routine (daily call with my business team, then prayers and meditation). Afterwards I found myself dwelling on the importance of this day – Thanksgiving Day – and how it developed into what it has become today. So, I did what anyone does today when they have a question about something – I Googled it. 

What I learned was the concept of having a celebration to give thanks dates back to the 1500’s in Europe. They called it “Days of Thanksgiving.” In those days it was mostly tied to religious celebrations. In the United States, the origins of Thanksgiving date back to events that happened around 1620. One of the most frequently referred to events was the celebration of the Pilgrims and Puritans in Plymouth, Massachusetts in 1621 where they celebrated the good harvest that they had that year. But it wasn’t until they 1660’s that a “Thanksgiving” celebration became an annual event in the New England area. Thanksgiving was first celebrated nationwide on November 26, 1789 when President George Washington proclaimed that the country should have “a day of public thanksgiving and prayer to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favours of Almighty God."

One last tidbit, it wasn’t until 1941 that Thanksgiving Day was set to be celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November throughout the United States.

Since my earliest childhood I have always loved Thanksgiving! Why? Well first, there was no school. Then it was great to have the whole family (my family, aunts, uncles, cousins, etc.) together. We always had so much fun. Then there was the food, so much food – turkey, stuffing, corn, pies and more (and did I mention there was turkey?). Back in those days Thanksgiving was just a fun day! 

Since I have gotten older, married, and had children of my own Thanksgiving has taken on newer meanings. There were a few years where I actually dreaded Thanksgiving. The dread came when we started celebrating it at our home. The chaos of cleaning, decorating and preparation for the guests to arrive was nerve wracking. Then, while they were at our home it seemed like we were so busy cooking, serving and cleaning that we really didn’t get to enjoy it much. And the worst part was the cleaning we had to do afterwards. Who knew how much garbage could be created by a group of 20, or so people. It’s no wonder that our landfills are overflowing. But I can say (thankfully) the dread only lasted a few years.

More recently I find Thanksgiving to be a wonderful day. Yes, we still have the family over to our house, and yes there is still the cleaning, decorating, and cooking to do. But for some reason it has become part of the fun of the day. I have realized that I can be thankful that I get to do these things to help my wife prepare for the feast. Wow, did that single realization make Thanksgiving so much more enjoyable.

But I have also developed the awareness that today really is about “giving thanks” to the Good Lord. I make time every year on Thanksgiving to sit quietly and reflect on all the things I have to be grateful for. I am so grateful for my beautiful wife and great children, for family and friends, for a career that I love, for my business partner and team from work, the lives that I get to impact in positive ways, our home, and I can go on and on. I am thankful for the love I have in my life. The love I have to give and the love that I am fortunate to receive. I am thankful for the challenges and hardships, as well, because they are the lessons that make me stronger and wiser. I am just thankful and grateful for all of it in my life. 

So, the question I find myself asking this morning is why should I wait for Thanksgiving Day to be thankful? I am realizing more and more that I need to make time everyday to be thankful and grateful. In fact, I am realizing that thankfulness and gratitude should be more than something I do once a day. They are attitudes that I need to embody all day, every day. They need to be who I am at all times, not just something I do once in a while. I know that I have not totally mastered this, but I am working on it. But my commitment is that I will continue to work on making every day Thanksgiving Day. In doing so, my intent, my hope, is to create positive ripples in the lives of people around me so that they can experience a little bit of Thanksgiving Day every day!

Writer William Arthur Ward once said … “Gratitude can transform common days into thanksgivings, turn routine jobs into joy, and change ordinary opportunities into blessings.” 

In closing, my wish to you on this Thanksgiving Day, is that you will join me in my quest to make every day “Thanksgiving Day” by learning to be thankful and grateful always. 

From my family to yours, we wish you the Happiest of Thanksgivings!