Deep Fry

I’ve always found Thanksgiving to be one of the more “amusing” days of the year.  We get the day off, we immerse ourselves in good food and tradition...not to mention we have a valid excuse to give sweatpants a workout. But perhaps you're like me and  have wondered why Thanksgiving is so undervalued in spite of all this. I mean...yeah, Thanksgiving gives camaraderie and healthy dialogue a platform. But at the same time...it's still a mere shadow of what it used to be (i.e. a part ial celebration of individual fulfillment 2 ... with an emphasis more on what  we do  for one day than who we are...and have the privilege of being... 24/7 3 ) when we compare to its original intent. Thus, I'd submit it's fair to re-evalute Thanksgiving and to consider the day as  more than an appreciative celebration over what we have . After all, we call the day Thanksgiving (as opposed to ‘ Thanksgetting ’; c ough, Verizon , ...

Does it ever bother you how Christmas seems to start a little earlier ever year? I know I fall into that camp. Seriously…it’s like our culture is allergic to Thanksgiving. F all arrives…and it’s Halloween for two months. Halloween ends…and it’s Christmas for two months. Yet, lost in between…within the crazy carousel of “to do” lists, peppy parties and shopping sessions is the most underrated holiday of the year…   … (*turkey drumstick roll please*)… Thanksgiving . Now, don’t get me wrong. I love me a cup of Yuletide bliss. I’m not trying to undercut the most wonderful season of all. It’s just that I balk at the idea of jumping on the premature Christmas celebration bandwagon. And note : for those who don’t know, yes, I do consider pre-Thanksgiving Christmas celebration to be premature. I mean…think about it. Our American calendar is not friendly to ‘Turkey Day’ at all. Not only is it sandwiched between Halloween and Christmas, but every year, you ...

We pardon this feast for a moment of ‘nation identification’…you’re listening to the sound of Thanksliving. So stop, look around, breathe in the moment. What do you see? How do you feel? Are you snug in good cheer? Are you smittenly cozy? Or do you hear sound of one far from prosy*? Today we gather as people of blessing, amidst the cranberries, the yams and the dressing. But I have a query that may sound quite quirky: What are you stuffed with and please don’t say ‘turkey’?  It’s good to be full, but ‘of what’ is key.  If we’re made to “run over”**, I’d say start with glee. But a season of thanks goes way beyond joy. It’s loving a grace we’re called to employ. It’s being FULL of what is worth giving. And this, friends, is why I call it Thanksliving. For today is not marked by Macy’s or glace, it’s finding delight in what tends to lose place. Like recalling how God has moved in your life, the glory of motion and favor in rife. So at the risk of sounding outrage...

At the advent of November’s fourth Thursday, I’m taken with a  nation  joined by  appreciation  that, in spite of selfish bent, has perpetuated a day of thanks in tribute to its God-breathed foundation. As heart-warming sentiments satiate our homeland, respect to freedom and liberty reaches its annual peak; however, even with the uptick in selfless ruminations, Thanksgiving has modified into one of the most ironic holidays in our history, since many employ the celebrative mission without prevailing vision of thankfulness really means. But in placement of concern, I must commit to a higher faith. For such an institution, implemented by God at the beginning of time, has never wavered, sustaining course to liven hope. A basic rewind through history confirms this. For before the creation of the world, thanksgiving existed as a result of relationship, evident within the Trinity. And through infinite time into post-creation, thanksgiving evolved through Cain & Ab...