Isn't There Anyone Who Can Tell Me What Thanksgiving Is All About?

It was the day before Halloween. Our kids had just decided what they wanted to do for Halloween costumes, so we set out to make their Halloween dreams come true. Our first stop was Target, where we discovered only the vestiges of Halloween's former glory. Most of the seasonal section was already transforming from orange and black to red and green. And...was that a reindeer I saw back in the corner? That's the way of things in the stores. They move right from one holiday to the next.

Except they didn't move to the next. They skipped Thanksgiving. As far as I know, the only store to make a todo about Thanksgiving is Publix, which is understandable given they would like to provide you with everything you need to make your Thanksgiving meal extraordinary. Shoot. Even Kroger's seasonal aisle went straight from skeletons to candy canes.

This is just something I tossed together, but if you want a fun little adventure, google "Halloween Christmas" and enjoy all the truly remarkable Halloween Tree expressions.

Slow your roll, Christmas. Slow. Your. Roll. I know there's not a lot of money to be made from Thanksgiving, but I want to give it a minute.

I love Thanksgiving, and I like it more every year. It's not because of the turkey or the dressing or the [clouds part and angels sing] pumpkin pie, though I do enjoy all of those. For me it's not even about extended family, though it's always nice to see family when we are able to travel (adding Mark's donuts to the list of food to enjoy!). Those things aren't really the essence of Thanksgiving to me. Honestly sometimes they can be distractions. 

Do you remember in the Peanuts Christmas special the moment where exasperated Charlie Brown finally loses the handle and shouts, "Isn't there anyone who can tell me what Christmas is all about!?" Linus drops his blanket and delivers the Christmas story calmly and firmly, representing a turning point for the Peanuts gang in which they seem to realize they'd lost sight of the meaning of Christmas leading to the wholesome ending where the Charlie Brown tree is transformed.

Isn't there anyone who can tell me what Thanksgiving is all about? Is there someone who can transform my cornucopia from a tattered basket to a thing of Thanksgiving glory?

I'm not Linus, but I do still have the blanket I've had ever since before I can remember. So let me put that down and give it a whirl.

My mom will vouch that this is my blanket.

Lights please.

I'm thankful for my family. I'm thankful for the ways they make my life better every day. Thankful for the ways they make me better every day. Thankful for the way they make me laugh. Thankful for their patience when I'm grouchy because I'm tired and recently gave up caffeine again. Thankful for their support when I have a stage to build or bell tables to move. Thankful for their companionship on the bizarre journey of life, a journey that took a hard left turn right after college, which leads me to...

I'm thankful for my calling and the ability to answer it. I'm thankful that I stumbled into music ministry after college. Little me wanted to be an EMT or a fireman. And he also loved music. He had no idea there was a job that helping people and making music together until later. I'm thankful to have the skills needed to serve in music. Thankful that I see, from time to time, the difference it can make in people's lives. Thankful that this calling also provides a living, which leads me to...

I'm thankful that I have enough. I'm thankful for water to drink, food to eat, and a comfortable home. Thankful that on my best days I understand enough is enough--that family and calling are more important than more and bigger.

I'm thankful for the people around me. I'm thankful that on my less good days God speaks to me through the voices of my friends and colleagues. Thankful to have people in my life who can lend a hand when I'm out of hands. Thankful for people who laugh at my jokes even when they aren't funny. I'm thankful for my friends who call me out when I need it. Sometimes for how bad my jokes are.

That's certainly a non-exhaustive list, but it's a start. The longer I live, the more I feel like the key to being happy is thinking about all the reasons we have to be thankful. After all, having everything isn't the same thing as wanting nothing. Human nature is to pursue having everything, but thanksgiving...Thanksgiving...reminds our heart of the value of wanting nothing.