Cranberries and Oranges.  The joys of a young boy depositing them in an old-school grinder for relish to be eaten at dinner.  Perhaps, one of my earliest memories of Thanksgiving.

Like you, there are many highlights of Thanksgiving Past.  The year we went to the Cowboys game.  The year we moved. The year my father-in-law passed.  Welcoming the new grandchild just in time. Those firsts and lasts of what each gathering would look like.

For some reason, I think I enjoy Thanksgiving more than Christmas.  It has a stillness and a purity and a hope.  The conversations are more outward.  The time lingers just a little bit more.

It’s interesting that our season of gratitude quickly dissolves into one of giving.  It’s probably more of a natural progression than we realize.  Not only do we feel grateful, but we want to take the opportunity to express that in a more tangible way.

The YOU in “Thank You” turns the attention away from ourselves.  We acknowledge and appreciate the one to whom thanks is given.  That “you” may seem to be directly in front of us but it ultimately extends upwards to the Giver of all good gifts.

Wherever we gather this week and in whatever context, let’s enjoy the moment – and thank God for the privilege to do just that. We enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise. It’s the perfect starting point for an eternal perspective on our material and our spiritual blessings.    Happy Thanksgiving.

Wally