Thanksgiving

In pursuit of gratitude and hope when both seem overplayed

Gratitude is a funny thing. It’s the topic of many a cross-stitch project and yard sign, there are countless fall-themed farmhouse-y placards declaring it in every home store. Its ubiquitous nature can lead us to think it trite or simple, when the reality is anything but. Gratitude is a lot like hope. It’s often thrown about: (I hope I don’t get sick, I hope the Cowboys win tomorrow) but the reality of true, grounded hope is less like a wish and more like a desperate clinging to faith something that doesn’t have anything to do with outcomes but rather with the nature of redemption. Similarly, gratitude isn’t the repetition of familiar graces (go around the table and say you’re thankful for your family, everybody) although that is certainly a good start.

True gratitude recognizes our inherent poverty, our inability to survive alone, the mere fact that humans are born naked and helpless and we leave the same way - that all else is a gift beyond our wildest imaginings.

I haven’t always f…