Looking back on this year through a gracious lens, I have a big, fat appreciative heart. First, my family and I are healthy. It’s been a ridiculous year…and it feels strange that I can confidently acknowledge most people feel that way too. Some of us have faced health problems, personally. And most of us at least know people who have gotten ill or passed this year.
Nineteen years ago my dad passed away, and one of the things he always reminded me was “Son, your health is numero uno. You can’t do anything without it.” So when I look back on this year, and I recognize the good health my family and I have had, I’m grateful. And while I recognize this, in the same beat, I painfully see (and not fully know) the struggle some are facing right now.
Thanksgiving is my favorite day of the year. Favorite because I usually spend it with a great group of family and friends. On this day there are few obligations, no work to be done, and food and drink to be had. And sometimes forgotten, but always the most important, there are blessings to be counted. Every year, whoever I’m with, I read aloud an editorial that was written in the New York Times in 2009. It’s called “A Thanksgiving Toast”. And every year, I pull myself together to read it strongly, boldly, and proudly. But by the end, I am falling apart, vulnerable, and open.
Nobody could have predicted the year we have had this year, privately as individuals, but also collectively. And if we look for it, maybe there are some sweet, new blessings we get to experience because of the unexpected year we have had.