Our good friends at Wikipedia tell us that the Canadian Thanksgiving celebration has existed in various forms since the late 1500’s, it moved to being a fall harvest festival in the 1870’s, and finally in 1957 the Federal government passed legislation making the official date the second Monday in October. Not all Canadian jurisdictions recognize this time as an official statutory holiday however this date is deemed to be a national day of Thanksgiving.
So what’s the big deal in this 21st century, urban, globally interconnected world we live in? I would liken Thanksgiving to a purposeful reflection – not necessarily religious but possibly spiritual. Maybe for some this might seem forced (and maybe it is) however the whole idea of a purposeful reflection is that it should allow for a slowing down, it should allow for a time to enable us to look large beyond our daily lives and look small or close at those things which are at our feet and see who we are and where we are in relation to the world and to those around us. When else do we do this?
For example I am thankful that I can quietly sit here in my office on a sunny and warm Sunday and peacefully write this blog. I am also thankful that I am graced with the richness of a loving and supportive wife and family and I am also thankful that I live in a society that is not at war and I do not have to have bars on my windows or live in a guarded compound. I am thankful that my granddaughter can run around and happily play in our neighbourhood without great fear or concern for her well-being. And I am thankful that I have been able to become well educated and be employed in an industry that gives me great freedom of expression and thought and affords me the ability to live well. I am thankful that I have the time to continue to reflect and be challenged and write and work to finish a personal academic goal and ever so thankful that I am surrounded by supportive and caring individuals on this journey.
The list could be endless, however the sheer fact that I have taken the time to write this and reflect as I am writing is truly a gift worth taking the time to be thankful for. What about you?