Giving Thanks

We celebrated Thanksgiving in the United States. We gave thanks for a bountiful harvest and the many blessings in our lives. Thanksgiving may be my favorite holiday – no gifts, just a time to be with family and friends sharing our lives together and the changing seasons.

Giving thanks is an acknowledgment of what we have and who we are. I feel more centered when I pause and give thanks for the gifts in my life. Our families are more connected when we pause to give thanks for the meaning and joy that families bring to our lives. I wish we said some form of “grace” and gave thanks at mealtime more often than we do now.

As the leader of a company, department, team, family, or any organization, giving thanks is something I can do to build community and shared values. I am building a stronger and more committed organization when I set aside times for the organization to pause and give thanks. We can give thanks in many forms, with many voices speaking. My contribution is to convene the gathering and either say the words of thanks or encourage others to give thanks.

By giving thanks, we acknowledge who we are as a community and the purpose and values we share. We give thanks for what we share and what we have accomplished together.

The Pilgrams sailed to Plymouth, Massachusetts, aboard the Mayflower, seeking religious freedom, and arrived in December 1620. Over that winter one half of the 130 men and women died of disease and starvation. The following spring and summer, the survivors grew food and learned to harvest food from the sea with help from the indigenous Wampanoag Indians.

That fall, they came together to give thanks for their survival, the harvest, their many blessings, and the promise of a good life in a new world. America’s Thanksgiving Holiday continues the tradition of a late fall gathering of family and friends. Thanksgiving reminds us to give thanks for the many blessings we enjoy as individuals, as families, and as a community.

Thanksgiving Dinner

Norman Rockwell painted this iconic Thanksgiving Dinner scene. It stands as the aspiration for all Thanksgiving Dinners.