3,000 calories!
Well, this time next week, we will just be coming out of a carb-induced coma – at least I will. In my opinion, Thanksgiving is right up there with Christmas and Easter. It is the one holiday wholly designed to help us get our minds off ourselves for a while. It is difficult to enjoy a blessed Christmas unless you've first exercised a meaningful Thanksgiving. This day sets the mood for the entire season.
What is your Thanksgiving like? I am supremely blessed that my children and grandchildren journey home to celebrate with their ole dad. My home, which is usually very quiet, will be holy chaos, and I'll love every minute of it.
Macy's parade will start in the morning, followed by food, food, and more food. Studies of this phenomenon reveal that the average American consumes over 3,000 calories and 150 grams of fat on this hallowed day. By the end of the day, my house resembles a cow pasture where massive bovines lie scattered on the floor, couches, beds, and recliners unable to move. What took eight hours to prepare is consumed in eight minutes.
I'm a traditionalist when it comes to the meal. I want a big fat roasted turkey, mountains of mashed potatoes, corn, green bean casserole, sweet potato casserole, and puffy warm rolls slathered in butter. I'm not big on the dark red fruit shaped like a can. It would be a waste of stomach space. Pie must wait a few hours after the initial shock to my system from the main feast. When the meal is consumed, my eyes have glared over, and I stare into the abyss like a zombie.
In recent years there has been some contention about the menu. My daughters like to eat healthily and think it is okay to break with time-honored traditional delicacies. One year they even introduced Brussel Sprouts. Brussel Sprouts! Are you kidding me?! The wonderful aroma of basting turkey was overshadowed by the nasty smell of these inedible green balls. By the way, the correct pronunciation is Brussels Sprouts. These smelly little cabbages are named after the capital of Belgium. Each year, I notice some new dish has been quietly introduced to my table. I thought I taught these children better.
We usually watch the Detroit Lions get pummeled. The holiday wouldn't be the same without it. By evening, we're on to our first Christmas show of the season, after which we crawl to our beds to sleep it all off. What a day! Those Pilgrims knew how to throw a party, and we've been doing it ever since.
The original holiday lasted three days so that Pilgrims could give thanks for a fruitful harvest. Men, Native Americans, and children primarily attended the first celebration. 78% of the women who came across the pond on the Mayflower had died that year. There were likely twice as many Native Americans in attendance at the shindig.
As was the custom for the English, there were prayers both before and after the meal. Most of the colonists were not only thankful for a harvest but for just being alive. Native Americans lived a lifestyle of giving thanks. Linda Coombs, the former associate director of the Wampanoag program at Plymouth Plantation, stated, "Every time anybody went hunting or fishing or picked a plant, they would offer a prayer or acknowledgment."
There were many turkeys available, but the Native Americans also shared five deer, so venison was placed on the menu. Sadly, there were no mashed potatoes since the tubers were not yet grown in the colony. There was no pumpkin pie, and Cool Whip was yet to be invented. There was no wheat flour or butter and no ovens to bake a pie.
The yearly celebration eventually took hold in New England until Sarah Josepha Hale campaigned to make the event a national holiday. To help mend the nation during the Civil War, Abraham Lincoln officially designated the last Thursday in November as the Thanksgiving holiday in 1863. That dark period of our national history brought little cause for thanks, but they did it anyway.
More important than food preparation is priming the heart. I have one of those cheesy little plaques in my kitchen to remind me of an important maxim. Gratitude Turns What We Have into Enough. Gratitude comes from the Latin word gratus, which means pleasing, welcome, agreeable. Grace is also related to the same root word.
There has been a lot of research on the effects of gratitude on the brain. Gratitude response is found deep inside our brains. People who live with an attitude of gratitude are far less inclined to become depressed; they are happier, they experience less anxiety and physical illness. Interestingly, neuroscientists have studied how gratitude influences the brain, and there is one outstanding result. Grateful people are more altruistic and generous. Generally speaking, science has proved that a grateful person is a giving person. Grateful brains actually "like" seeing others' needs met and are more apt to contribute to the well-being of others. The inward practice of gratitude can develop outward acts of generosity. Marvel of marvels, the Bible is correct in saying that people are more physically, spiritually, and emotionally blessed to give than to receive!
Gratitude produces thanksgiving and generosity. You can develop your gratitude muscle just like your bicep. Here are some suggestions.
Train your mind to think about the myriad of manifestations of goodness in life. "Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things." (Philippians 4:8 NIV)
Dwell upon what you have rather than what you do not possess. Want, want, want will get you nowhere, nowhere, nowhere. Mighty is the power of contentment.
"I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want." (Philippians 4:12 NIV)
Keep a gratitude journal. The act of regularly writing down the blessings of each day will grow the gratitude center of your brain.
We write this to make our joy complete." (1 John 1:4 NIV)
Express your gratitude numerous times daily. Gratitude is a three-step process. We recognize something good. Next, we appreciate what we realize. Thirdly, we give thanks and show appreciation.
". . . give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."
(1 Thessalonians 5:8 NIV)
Happy Thanksgiving! Most of us will spend plenty of time and effort preparing for our Thanksgiving feast. Don't forget to spend as much time preparing your heart.
Live Inspired!
Don Mark
(Information about Thanksgiving was gleaned from an article by Sarah Pruitt in The History Newsletter)
