A Tough Thanksgiving This Year
Thanksgiving always has been my favorite holiday, just as one of my favorite gospel passages tells of the single leper out of ten who returns to thank Jesus for having healed him. I like to think I’d be like that lone leper. I try to express my thankfulness often, even for the smallest of kindnesses. The ability to show gratitude is one of the hallmarks of being human.
Every Thanksgiving, I normally write a long list of what I’m grateful for. I admit, though, to struggling with that exercise this year as I lament the sad state of the world. Just this past week Russia launched a new weapon against Ukraine capable of flying 10 times the speed of sound and carrying multiple warheads at once. Russia also attacked with a shrapnel-filled drone meant to wound and kill people rather than damage structures.
Meanwhile, the International Court for Human Rights, the world’s top war-crimes court, issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his former defense minister, and Hamas’ military chief accusing both sides of crimes against humanity in the brutal 13-month war in Gaza.
Here in the U.S., thanks to Donald Trump’s cabinet picks, we are moving from a government of the people, by the people and for the people to a government of oligarchs, by billionaires, for Fox News bloviators. Thank God Matt Gaetz withdrew his name as the Attorney General nominee. That is one sexual predator down, but there are more to go (not to mention the predatory president-elect himself).
Then there are the smaller issues that seem to reflect a larger dysfunction. At this weekend’s Notre Dame versus Army game, an interviewer asked Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman what he most expected most from his players in the match-up. His one-word response: “Violence.” Good grief!
Given the state of the world and the country, perhaps it is even more important this year for me to make that gratitude list.
I could start by giving thanks for having the means to enjoy a plentiful Thanksgiving meal with my beautiful husband and the friends who will join us this year. I know there are many in the U.S. who will not have that luxury. I could add gratitude for my new book on Italy, “The Italian Soul,” which will be published next May, and my latest poetry collection, which will be out in 2026. I am thankful too for the continued blessing of good health.
My list can go on …
There is a delightful new eight-part series on Netflix called “A Man on the Inside.” In it, Ted Danson plays a retired professor named Charles whose life is adrift after the death of his wife. He teams up with a private detective and goes under-cover in a senior living facility to investigate the theft of a resident’s valuable necklace. At first Charles views all of his fellow residents as potential suspects. Soon though, he gets to know them and begins to build bonds. In a particularly poignant scene, he and a fellow resident named Colbert reminisce about the events that allowed both of them to meet their wives.
“If you think about all the good things that happened to you in life,” Colbert observes, “looking back, they can all seem like miracles.”
Perhaps another way to start our gratitude list this year is to look back at all the seemingly miraculous happenings that made such a difference in our lives.
What are the “miracles” you can be grateful for this Thanksgiving? How are you holding onto gratitude even in this tumultuous time?
