A New Meaning for Thanksgiving

We’re accustomed to counting our blessings in the Jewish faith — not just every day but many times each day. We say modeh ani before we rise in the morning, thanking God for the opportunity to experience a new day. We say shechecheyanu to express our gratitude for joyful occasions and “firsts.” We give thanks for the food we eat and the wine we drink, for the candles we light and the holidays we celebrate. Our daily blessings acknowledge our blessings continually.

When every day is filled with a gratitude that’s steeped in a religious and spiritual faith, it may not seem like the traditional Thanksgiving holiday can add much to our Jewish lives. Yet our expectations feel different this year. After nearly three years of pandemic living, we’re yearning for something more. More meaning, more connectiveness. More, well, thanks.

When I first moved to the U.S. from Australia over 20 years ago, Thanksgiving meant a day off work and an excuse to snag a great deal. In other words, a day of consumerism. But during our painful periods of isolation and social distancing, we were forced to re-think our priorities.

Perhaps we are still grieving the cherished souls of those we lost. At emptier-than-usual Thanksgiving tables, we remembered when our homes were filled with the laughter and joy of loved ones. We filled our Amazon shopping carts with shiny new items on Black Friday. We experienced firsthand — maybe even for the first time — that material possessions can never replace the people in our lives. And certainly that there is no substitute for the human touch.

But we are newly energized now. Many of us have emerged from the pandemic with a new sense of gratitude, awareness of the divine and the higher power within. We recognize how fortunate we are.

How do we keep that perspective in the face of the consumerism we’ll face this Thanksgiving? From apparel to appliances and toys to technology, there’s always plenty of stuff we think we may want. But what do we truly need? And how can we resist?

So many of us are so blessed, and we say prayers which recognize how much we have to celebrate. And it will take a conscious effort to shift our consciousness from the Amazon wish lists to what really matters in our lives.

I propose that you think of one thing — just one thing — for which you are deeply grateful. One thing that exemplifies what gratitude means to you. A singular element or experience that you hold dear.

For me, it’s the trip I took this fall with my wife and children to visit my family in Australia. The trek from New York was long and exhausting and we only spent a few short days together. But I will never forget the way that my children hugged and kissed their grandparents for the first time in more than 1,000 days, and the way my parents showered them with hugs and kisses in return.

I will embrace that vision this Thanksgiving when I feel myself falling into the trap of consumerism. That singular memory will remind me of everything that is dear to me and for which I am most grateful. I don’t really need anything else.

In a life filled with blessings, what will your vision of gratitude look like?