“Thanksgiving In A Pandemic”

Thanksgiving and the pandemic sound like a contradiction in terms. A plague is ravaging our planet. What have we to be grateful for? Quite a bit, actually!  It is precisely when we are beset by troubles that it becomes all the more important to practice gratitude. Giving thanks reminds us that what is negative, as real as it is, doesn’t constitute the whole story — that the good in our lives doesn’t go away because bad things are happening. Seeing that good can lift our spirits and give us strength to cope with the very real challenges we face.

Having an attitude of gratitude at such times also helps us to recognize and appreciate the good things that are happening in response to those challenges. Chief among these are all the acts of kindness and caring that are being performed by caregivers, first responders, and essential workers, all of whom are acting heroically to serve the needs of others. We owe it to them and to ourselves to recognize and appreciate their great goodness.

For most of us, our annual Thanksgiving family gatherings will be a casualty of the pandemic, and that will be greatly disappointing. But we can soften the blow by realizing that we still have so much to be thankful for — the fundamental blessings of life and health, the food that sustains us, and the freedoms that we cherish. The heart of Thanksgiving is the belief that our fundamental rights and blessings are derived from the very source of life. So let us look to Thanksgiving not with disappointment for what it might not be this year. Let us look instead to the many blessings we have received by the love and grace of God. And let us respond with love and generosity to share those blessings with those who are in need.