The Gift of Thanksgiving: Part One


Today is Thanksgiving for Canadians. It was defined in 1957 by the Canadian parliament as "A Day of General Thanksgiving to Almighty God for the bountiful harvest with which Canada has been blessed – to be observed on the 2nd Monday in October."

Most of us know thanksgiving as a wonderful festival and celebration of thanks. It is celebrated at various times and in many different ways all over the world.

 I have fond memories of thanksgiving celebrations in my own family. We often celebrated in my country home in Peterborough, Ontario, and my city relatives from Toronto would happily make the trip to the country at this beautiful time of year.

Outdoor activities were usually part of the fun, from walks in the woods to soccer games on the front lawn. The meal was always a highlight with turkey, turnip mashed with butter and maple syrup, mashed potatoes with garlic and butter and cream, carrots with my mother's orange sauce and my Uncle Ed's apple pie.

 Thanksgiving, like other celebrations has gained momentum over the years. Nowadays, people decorate for thanksgiving in ways that they did not 30 or so years ago. People love to have reasons to celebrate.

 Honestly those good memories happened before divorce and depression. It was a little harder to be thankful after that. Hard but not impossible. We are going to talk about the healing power of thanksgiving for the next two posts. 

 Trust me, it works. Thanksgiving is a great depression getaway.

 But I am here to tell you that you could make everyday of your life a day of thanksgiving, and you would be better off for it! There is power in being thankful and that is what we are going to chat about this week.
May you and your family enjoy this thanksgiving weekend. May you find new ways to be thankful. May God bless your family with love and forgiveness and reconciliation.

 WHAT ABOUT YOU? How are you feeling? Feeling very thankful today? Thankfulness can be a feeling, but it can also be a choice. Stay with me.

 Don't give up! There is hope for depression.



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