Reflections for the Thanksgiving holiday, 2025

“Oh, how sweet the light of day, and how wonderful to live in the sunshine! Even if you live a long time, don’t take a single day for granted. Take delight in each light-filled hour.” Ecclesiastes 11: 7, 8 From The Message: The Bible in Contemporary Language by Eugene H. Peterson

The zany 1970s rock singer/songwriter, Warren Zevon, was diagnosed with a terminal illness. When asked by an interviewer if there was anything he understood now, facing his own mortality, that he didn’t before, Zevon replied, “Just how much you’re supposed to enjoy every sandwich.”

I think that is such a beautiful and wise statement! In the specificity of using an ordinary object to express the small, wonderful things we take for granted each day, Zevon distilled a deep, profound truth into a simple idea.

As we near the end of this strange year of far too many unnecessary deprivations and ominous apprehensions, let’s apply the late Warren Zevon’s wise, simple advice to our observance of Thanksgiving.

By all means, let us “enjoy every sandwich” and all our traditional family favorite recipes, but also take more delight in the simple joys of this beautiful national holiday.

Rather than focusing on the excessive, over-the-top, food–obsessed aspects we have refashioned of this day originally set aside for deep awareness of the good in our lives, I hope we can savor each bite with deeper appreciation for all that gives our lives meaning.

Let’s set aside more time in this Thanksgiving holiday weekend for considering all that we have to be grateful for and spend a little less of it on frantic “Black Friday” shopping for more stuff.

Let’s not allow Thanksgiving Day to be swept up in the ever-expanding, over-scheduled, jingle-jangle barrage of the toxic-capitalist, secular-Christmas onslaught. Instead, let’s find ways to allow Thanksgiving Day, and ourselves, space to “breath” on its own.

Let’s vow to enjoy every second with family and friends and not allow trivial grievances or petty squabbles or past hurts to ruin these precious moments. May God give us wisdom to be more aware of what we already know: that we don’t have forever on this earth, and our time is not unlimited, and those we love will not be here forever.

Aware that those with us this holiday may not be with us the next, let’s use the opportunity afforded by this sometimes forced time together to express the compliment we might one day wish we had given, the affirmation that would mean so much, the unspoken appreciation for another’s unique personality, the long-overdue thanks for a long-ago kindness.

In the midst of these times darkened by the unreality of “reality television”, the distortion of internet memes, and the artificiality of AI deep fakes, let’s make conversations on Thanksgiving Day sprinkled with “truth expressed in love” and opinions based on real, rather than “alternative” facts.

With humility, let us whisper the simple prayer of peacemaker Dag Hammarskjold: “For all that has been, thanks. For all that is yet to be — yes!” Maybe we can make “thanks” and “yes” our themes for this Thanksgiving Day.

A Prayer for Thanksgiving Day

Lord, as with so many eras, with so much chaos careening around us; inspire us to carve out this Thanksgiving Day to be one of peace. There is so much grieving and griping, turmoil and terror, anger and anxiety, division and denigration, conflict and corruption, sickness and suffering, obstinate dishonesty and skillful obfuscation swirling across our nation and world; lead us to choose to make this national holiday one of creative, determined gratitude for the good.

As we stumble through this busy time of year, help make choices that allow us to look back with gratitude at every moment that held joy, reconciliation, healing, comfort, and hope. The scriptures teach us: “…whatever is true, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence, or anything worthy of praise, think on these things.” (Philippians 4:8) May our contemplation of positive, noble things make for a bright and blessed Thanksgiving Day.

Guide us to approach this Thanksgiving Day allowing the sincerest giving of thanks to wash over us with a warmth that sparkles within us and overflows in extensions of generosity toward others. Amen.