Giving and Receiving Thanks is not Always Easy to do.
It usually seems pretty obvious that Thanksgiving is a time to give thanks. For both what we have in our lives, and who we have in our lives.
Here in the US, Thanksgiving is a big deal! The busiest travel day of the year is the day before Thanksgiving. Everyone wants to get where they are going, to spend time with family.
Family can mean many different things to different people. Family can mean people who you are related to and want to (or have to) spend Thanksgiving with, or, to use a popular term, people may be a part of a Friendsgiving, where maybe you aren't related to anyone around the dining table or in the backyard around a smoker. But you are for sure around people you want to be with!
And actually, some people celebrate both! You can always get together with friends before or after Thanksgiving, if you spend the fourth Thursday of November with your family. Why miss out?
Thanksgiving: Gratitude, Tradition, and Togetherness
Thanksgiving isn't just about gathering to eat a huge meal, filled with traditional food choices passed down from generation to generation. In my family, don't even think about leaving out the green bean casserole, or the pop-up rolls. The day also includes a big NYC parade and a lot of football watching. Like around 40 million people glued to their television sets, give or take a few million.
Thanksgiving can also involve playing flag football in the yard, watching movies, either at home or at a theater, playing board or parlor-type games, or just relaxing with your feet up after the last pumpkin pie crumb has been eaten and the last dish has been washed.
But even with all of that, the focus for many, if not most on Thanksgiving Day, is reflecting on what you are thankful for. And for the majority of folks who do give thanks, part of the tradition of Thanksgiving is to say it out loud. To let the people who are most valued in your life hear that.
Even if you are grateful for something big, and all encompassing, like a house, or your job, there are usually individuals folks who have either helped you achieve those goals or have been right alongside you for the ride.
Acknowledging Appreciation
But I think part of giving thanks to someone, is also being able to receive thanks. Graciously accepting a compliment, an acknowledgement, a recognition. It is often easy, at least for me, to brush off recognition or a warm-fuzzy. But I think when that happens, I am actually taking away from the person who so graciously was offering it to me. I don't want to appear conceited so I downplay it, or I might even act like I never heard it in the first place.
If I truly am grateful for certain people in my life, I need to honor them by allowing them to express their appreciation. A simple "thank you" is all that is needed.
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