So it’s Thanksgiving week - a time when, according got Johnny Carson, people travel thousands of miles to be with people they only see once a year - to discover that once a year is way too often…
But we gather with family and loved ones in the context of saying ’thanks’ -
We want to thank parents who raised us, siblings who put up with us - and even thank God whose mysterious hand, we suspect, has had more to do with keeping us safe and satisfied than we’ll ever know.
I love this holiday because it cuts across most every religious, ethnic, gender, and class line to encourage us to do what we were created to do: to look outside of ourselves and give - and grace others with a word of good cheer: thank you.
And saying thanks isn’t just for them - saying thanks is for us.
Researchers say that gratitude improves physical and psychological health.
It enhances empathy and self-esteem - and reduces aggression.
One study even says that people who are grateful even sleep better - and we thought it was because we had too much turkey.
So go ahead - now’s the time, before things get too crazy - to think of how we’re going to thank those inside and outside our circle of loved ones - What’ll we use - words? Cards? Flowers? Make a list of who and how - and remember that reaching out to them is good for everyone involved.
Happy Thanksgiving!
