Giving Thanks

What will you give thanks for this holiday? It's a simple question, really. But one of great magnitude and holy significance: "Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; give thanks in all circumstances" (1 Th. 5:16-18).


After having counted our blessings, we must ask ourselves: what to do with them? Give praise, yes. Perhaps even take someone aside after the Thursday meal to give them a big hug and express your gratitude for their love.


There are other ways to give thanks, as well. Like giving back. In a recent interview with ABC's Christiane Amanpour, billionaire Warren Buffett exclaimed: "I think that people at the high end, people like myself, should be paying a lot more in taxes. We have it better than we've ever had it." The vast majority of us do not have the luxury of asking the government to dip into our wallets. But the spirit of Buffett's confession - the admission that we all can find our own respective ways to help out by giving back (money, time, love) - that spirit should inspire us.


This afternoon, while grabbing a burrito at Felipe's in Harvard Square, I came upon an unshaven, disheveled man perched upon a ledge. "Can you help?" he pleaded. Slipping my hand into my pocket, I grabbed a handful of change and dumped the coins into his crumpled cup. Typically, I would have smiled and moved on, feeling quite good about my generosity. But the Spirit, for whatever reason, would not let me leave. I stood there, staring into the man's eyes, striking up a conversation. I asked him about his Thanksgiving plans, whether he would be able to feast on some turkey and gravy. He nodded. The man then explained his predicament, caught without work, unable to find an employer willing to accept his resume. "I'll get up and outta here some day." I listened deeply. And then, upon departing, we exchanged blessings. We both gave thanks for the time we had spent together.


What a small gift of great joy.


May you find time this holiday to listen and to be heard, to give love and to receive the warmth of relationship. Happy Thanksgiving.