In recent years, Thanksgiving has garnered a lot of controversy due to its roots in America’s founding. This isn’t weird in and of itself, as modern cancel culture has claimed everything it finds even mildly offensive. The issue at hand is simple, early pilgrims have a dinner with Native Americans eating the foods they grew together as a symbol of friendship, and as a way to celebrate making it so long in the new world. This much we know, however, many believe that it’s a way to continue celebrating the genocide the first Americans subjected the Native Americans to. While this is something I hope to go into further detail in later writing, suffice it to say that’s our issue here.
First and foremost, even if you don’t think the early Americans were good people, I still think the Thanksgiving story is a great history lesson for kids. It’s an especially great way to explain Native Americans, how they helped us, and how we treated them in kind. Much more than all of that, however, is a life lesson for children and adults alike that I think needs to be focused on now more than ever. And that is one of thankfulness. This isn’t as simple as you’d think, as many ignore thankfulness in exchange for a victim mentality that tends to ruin relationships, reputations, and mental health alike. Still, others will argue that we don’t need just one day to be thankful and we should be thankful year-round. To that last point, I wholeheartedly agree, however, we still need to take into account our humanity. Humans, as a general rule, don’t remember things very well. That’s why we have special days for things. Veteran’s day, memorial day, Christmas, Easter, etc. All these holidays (and many more I’m sure) serve as reminders for us to remember. To remember the birth and death of Christ, to remember those who served and died for our country, to remember milestones and landmarks that we've achieved. Thanksgiving should serve as a reminder for us to be thankful. Even if there’s seemingly nothing to be thankful for. Even if your family isn't on speaking terms. Even if you’re working today. Even if this year’s been difficult. There’s always something to be thankful for.
Six years ago, my aunt lost her husband on Thanksgiving day. This rocked our entire family, though we knew the cancer was going to take him. It still hurt, knowing we’d never hunt with him again, never hear his stories from growing up on the reservation again, never hug him again. It was sad, and for years, my aunt and cousins were bitter and angry at God for taking their father and husband. For years, Thanksgiving was an awful time of lamenting and grieving for the things they’d lost. And justifiably so, such a great loss should be met with great mourning, right? Well, after talking with my aunt this year, she talked about how she was no longer angry about the loss of her husband, even though she could be. She has chosen to be thankful. Thankful for the time with him, the wonderful kids they had, and many years of marriage. She’s choosing this year to remember and be thankful for all the blessings she’s been given, instead of lamenting what she’s lost.
That last line is what I think needs to be repeated over and over until we’re all sick of it. Be thankful for what we do have, instead of lamenting what we’ve lost. It’s easy for me to write, sitting in a nice heated house, with a nice TV and both my parents in the kitchen making dinner. But I could choose to be upset. I could choose to be angry about all the things that I’ve gone wrong this year. That’d be stupid, right? I have so much to be thankful for, why would I be angry? The same could be said about you. There’s someone that could say that about you right now. No matter how bad this year has been, or how miserable you’d like to be, there’s always someone who'll wonder why you aren’t thankful for what you have. So choose thankfulness this year. Now, more than ever, we need to choose thankfulness over bitterness, I promise it’ll make things seem a lot less hopeless.
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