By Mike Aleman | FāVS News Columnist
Come ye thankful people come, come and give thanks to the Lord for he is good and his mercy endures forever.
Most of us give thanks to the Lord every morning or evening, maybe both, for despite Hamlet’s “slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,” which are plenty, we also have slings and arrows of good fortune, and plenty for which to be thankful.
It is entirely appropriate to have a National Day of Thanksgiving. Many countries in the world do so. Traditionally, as every school child or former school children know, the first Thanksgiving in the colonies occurred in 1621, over 400 years ago, and George Washington declared our National Day of Thanksgiving in November of 1789. The Plymouth colonists and President Washington recognized their survival through hardship as cause for gratitude.
We, too, in this Year of Our Lord, 2025 have good reason to give thanks.
If we have known love, we are thankful. If we are of sound mind and mostly of sound body, we are thankful. If, as my father said when I complained, “You have a roof over your head,” we are thankful. If we’re upright and moving, we are thankful.
Obviously, the list is endless, but it would behoove (I like that ancient word) us all to sit down and begin a list of those gifts and blessings for which we are thankful. Keep it on the desk or the table. Add to it as you pass by each day. Quit when you tire of it, but sit and read it through before casting it away.
Yes, times are hard. Many remain unhoused. Many are losing insurance. Many have serious illnesses. Many have lost their jobs. That list, too, is endless, but it doesn’t negate the good we have known, the blessings we have been granted. If we are still here to give thanks, we should do so.
Above all, perhaps, on this Thanksgiving Day when food aid and health aid are being limited by those who have more than enough, we should serve our fellows by buying at least one of those grocery bags for those in need. We should take a couple of hours and serve dinners to those who line up for a Thanksgiving dinner. We should tell our family members we are grateful for them.
If even for only one day, we should live out our thanks. The childhood prayer many of us learned early in our lives, though simple, covers the blessings.
Thank you for the food we eat.
Thank you for the world so sweet.
Thank you for the birds that sing.
Thank you, God, for everything.
The views expressed in this opinion column are those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect the views of FāVS News. FāVS News values diverse perspectives and thoughtful analysis on matters of faith and spirituality.
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