It's Not About the Turkey!

It is amazing to me how this holiday has become all about a bird. What kind do you have? Roasted, fried, smoked, baked, sautéed, butterball, light or dark meat?? The pilgrims at the first Thanksgiving were just glad to have food period. They gathered about the tables and had a meager meal. Today we gather around a table and gorge ourselves with plenty. In Luke 17, we read that ten lepers were healed yet only one returned to say thanks. Only a tenth of the crowd of former lepers. They got so caught up in the blessing that they forgot the blessor. How will you stop and say thanks this year? Some families share one thing around the table they are thankful for and say a blessing before they eat. Another family I know always spends the day at a soup kitchen serving the least among us. Another family always invites in people who do not have family to be with. Another family eats a meager meal and gives the savings to the local food pantry. Two families told me they would be writing thank you notes to people this Thanksgiving who have blessed their lives the past year. These are great ways to show thanks and real gratitude. 

It's not about the turkey! It's about having an attitude of gratitude. Try it this year!