Above is a photo of our family table at home. Today is an exceptional day to pause and give thanks. I came across fitting words for this Thanksgiving Day.

The table glows with golden light,
and hearts unfold like autumn leaves.
Voices rise in quiet thanks,
for the love we give and receive.

Each hand held, each story shared,
is a gift that cannot fade.
In this simple, sacred moment,
our souls find home, our hearts are made.

I’ll never forget the hiccup of my Thanksgiving Holiday. One year, I was making my way back to Portland and missed my plane because I wanted to grab a gift for someone back in the Pacific Northwest. I watched my scheduled plane take off in front of my eyes.

Thanksgiving is perhaps the most popular travel day in the United States. It’s a day when we make the extra effort to visit family and loved ones and sharing a delicious sweet or a bottle of wine. We want to offer the perfect food or beverage for this annual meal. This holiday is about connection, strengthening bonds between people who mean an immense deal to us. It’s a holiday we can all celebrate well.

A little American history

This holiday is the first recognized national holiday of our country. George Washington was the first president to issue a proclamation for a national day of thanks on October 3, 1789. He designated Thursday, November 26, 1789 as a day of Thanksgiving celebrating the newly ratified U.S. Constitution. The holiday became a permanent fixture in American life with Abraham Lincoln’s 1863 proclamation and was later passed into law by Congress in 1941. Our country exercised its Protestant faith by setting aside a day to give thanks to God for his countless blessings.

A Catholic Perspective

While today is not a holy day of obligation it is a wonderful opportunity to celebrate Eucharist.

In the Gospel we will hear the story of the ten lepers. After they are healed only one returns to give thanks. This story reminds me of God’s generosity. The ten had faith as they approached Jesus. The ten entered into deeper faith as they called him Master. The ten had immense faith as they took Jesus at his word to show themselves to the priest. As they were going to the priest they were cleansed. It was the outsider who returned to Jesus to give thanks.

This story teaches me that thanksgiving is the greatest prayer. Jesus did not revoke his miracle to the other nine for he is always generous. At the same time, thanksgiving is the fruit of genuine faith and it is this faith that saves us.

As we celebrate the oldest holiday in our country, do we above all, recognize God’s abiding loving presence in our lives? What can we do today to express the gratitude for the gift of this one life?

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!