The symbol of gratitude on Thanksgiving is surely the dinner table. We gather around the feast to share our blessings in the presence of people who make a difference in our lives. We laugh and reminisce and catch up and even cry - as we take time to remember how fortunate we are, you and I:
For the family and friends with us day by day. We benefit from their bounty and it never seems to go away.
For our neighbors nearby who form the place, we call home. We’re better off in their society than left alone in the wild to roam.
For our colleagues and clients, who bring joy to our work. We reap more than a paycheck with their presence as a perk.
For strangers, we barely meet - doctors or scientists or pilots or police; teachers and preachers and shopkeepers down the street; nurses and nannies and cooks and cabbies and soldiers and salespeople and writers and mechanics. Ah, that endless list of people whose simple citizenry replenishes us from morning to night.
For those who have gone from our table, who raised us and praised us and taught us and friended us. Whose stories remain part of us and whose love shines within us - never-ending nourishment, gratitude without end.
How big our Thanksgiving table is,
How it feeds so many with ease!
How endless our appreciation,
When we gather close together -
At ease.
One day a year we stop to say Thanks,
A little more than before.
A happy reminder who’s always
Welcome at our front door.
The cheer we feel is like dessert
Served before the feast.
A reminder what binds us
Outlasts our troubles, at least.
So pass the turkey and potatoes
And pour some gravy on, too.
The most wonderful part of life
Is sharing it with someone like
You!