Thanksgiving and Giving Thanks

We have been talking about the insidious negative impact of drama on civility and interpersonal harmony.  Many of you recently shared Thanksgiving dinner with family and friends with whom, due to Covid, you may not have seen in person for a year or two.

Hopefully, it was a deeply rich and satisfying experience for you.  For some it may have been marked with tension, conflict, and disappointment.  You may have hoped to experience the community of family only to realize it was more a wish than a reality.  If that is the case, I am sorry.

One of the most potent tools to combat drama is the power of thanksgiving.  Giving thanks requires a shift from focus on my expectations, wants, and wishes to the goodness available even if it isn’t packaged as I would have wanted.  Cultivating an eye that sees such goodness is of great value.  Cultivating a heart that rejoices in such goodness allows you to experience the wonder of love, joy, and peace even when those around you are at each other’s throats.

Even the most difficult people have saving graces if you look for them.  Even the most tense interactions often have some spec of goodness that, if seen and cultivated, may grow big enough to overcome conflict and tension.

Thanksgiving does not need to be a once-a-year event.  It can be a way of life.  You can become a person who gives thanks all day and every day.  You can become a person who is a source of healing, reconciliation, and peace.

Happy Thanksgiving.