Today is the day after Thanksgiving. This has historically been a difficult time of year for me, but somehow this year things are better. What is different? I'm not sure, but I think it has to do with having an attitude of thankfulness. My birthday is one week before Thanksgiving approximately--during that time of the year when the trees are losing their last leaves, and the weather is getting colder, and the days are getting shorter, and anxieties are turning towards the end of the year and the materialism of the holidays. Well, ok, those are the downers but here are the uppers--there really is so much for me to be thankful for. For starters, being born in the first place. My mother and I both almost died on that November day many years ago, so it is a triumph that I even have a birthday to celebrate every year. That should be reason enough to give thanks. And leading on from there, there is a certain beauty and dignity to the trees becoming dormant, metaphorically turning inwards for a season of rest and regrouping. Colder weather means all the seasonal allergies go away, and getting oneself warm when the weather is cold creates true coziness. Shorter days and less sunlight are counteracted by a full spectrum light box, which I am thankful for every day. The holidays are what you make of them, and there are plenty of themes of peace and joy so that with a little discipline one can counteract the evils of overconsumption and greed.
It is hard to be unhappy when one is thankful. As I write this is dawns on me that perhaps God's greatest gift to us is that of giving us the capacity to be thankful for all the other gifts we have been given. In kabbalah that would be the "will to receive"--to be grateful for God's "will to bestow". In Christianity, our thanksgiving is embodied (literally) in the Eucharist--our thanksgiving for God's gift of God's Son, who made the ultimate sacrifice for us.
Being truly thankful--to God and to each other--puts a positive spin on things that gives us the drive to make things better. Far from covering up the messiness and struggle of life it gives us the energy to carry on. One of the exersizes given to people suffering from depression is to think of those things one is grateful for. When one's life is at its lowest point is the time when it is most critical to be thankful.
As the season advances into that delightfully countercultural time of Advent and Christmas and finally Epiphany I pray that I can continue my thankfulness.
