Giving thanks is a choice
Thanksgiving will soon be here. That all-american holiday we celebrate with friends and family when we enjoy eating some really good food. You cannot give proper attention to the annual Thanksgiving holiday without seriously considering the many things for which we all have to be thankful. Hopefully we will be surrounded by thankful people. Indeed. Thankful people are optimistic and generally do not have a critical spirit. They are a joy to know.
Sometimes I think being thankful is a choice. Some people actually make the choice to be disagreeable and not have an attitude of thankfulness. Haven’t we all had a Debbie Downer in our lives who never sees the positive side to anything? Negative people who whine and complain about everything.
Years ago, when I was in college at Shorter, I belonged to Pi Sigma sorority and we had a sorority sister like that. I’ll just refer to her as Agnes. We all knew that when a group of us was together, Agnes was going to trash talk the sorority sisters not present. At our weekly sorority meetings, Agnes always voted against what the rest of us wanted to do and complained about everything. Agnes decided that, instead of being optimistic, and having a thankful attitude, she would be critical, negative and disagreeable. Agnes, therefore, decided to be miserable.
These days, she is still in the habit of complaining and criticizing and she is not thankful for anything. Agnes is the most negative person I’ve ever known. Would it surprise you to know that Agnes never married? Nobody wants to be around that. Too much negative energy.
I love Thanksgiving. We spent all our holidays at the home of my maternal grandparents, Bert and Marie Griffin, in Whitfield County. For all our holiday family gatherings, Grandma, Mama and my aunts all planned what they would each bring and, of course, they each had their specialties.
Aunt Ellen’s specialty was dessert, and cranberry sauce. She made the most delicious hummingbird cake. For Thanksgiving, Mama would bring the turkey and cornbread dressing. Aunt Bill and Aunt Melba made squash casserole, sweet potato casserole, and green bean casserole.
Thanksgiving Day, my cousins and I all played touch football in Grandma’s backyard while Grandma, Mama, and my aunts got our Thanksgiving feast ready. In the meantime, Daddy and my uncles were in Grandma’s living room watching football. The whole family would be there, including my aunt and uncle and cousins from south Georgia.
When it was time to eat, we gathered around Grandma’s dining room table. The table, which could seat 12 people, belonged to Grandma’s father, Jacob Morris. Next to that table was the kids table where I and my cousins happily gathered. Uncle John said the blessing. “Heavenly Father, we are so thankful for this family and for safe travel that got us here. Thank you for your many blessings…”
My grandparents, my parents and my aunts and uncles all taught everything by example. When it comes to being thankful, I learned from the best.
Giving thanks is a choice; if you look for reasons to be thankful, you will find them. So this year, when you are gathered with your friends and family for Thanksgiving, have an attitude of thankfulness. The blessings of life abound. Friends and family are all around.
Happy Thanksgiving, one and all.