thanks
I know it's not thanksgiving. But it was just
Easter. And though it's not generally billed as "the holiday of
thanks," it certainly brings to mind things to be thankful for and
causes me to dig a little deeper, too.
After all, Easter is arguably the most significant of
all Christian holidays - yes, despite the fact that Easter candy may pale
in comparison to Christmas loot, Easter represents the full accomplishment
of Jesus's visit to Earth (though to be fair Christmas is important too -
the celebration of Jesus coming to Earth and His reason for doing so). So
I guess I'd actually say the combination of Good Friday and Easter Sunday
is(are) the most significant holiday(s) in Christendom.
I'm going to jump around just a bit. On Sunday I was at
my girlfriend's aunt's home for dinner and at the end of the meal we went
around and stated a) what we've been up to for the past couple of weeks
and b) what's important to us. Here's a paraphrase of my reponse:
I've been working a lot (I have) and not too much
else except looking for another job... and what's important to me is [my
girlfriend], of course, and the meaning of this whole holiday.
Yeah, that's sort of a lame (though true) response, and
it even garnered a "boring" from her brother. But the point is that it
seems like a boring answer - to Christians and non-Christians - because it
seems so rote. If you're a Christian, then the holiday is a celebration
of your savior proving His power over death and extending eternal life to
you as well! It's a commemoration of receiving a gift that is invaluable.
For the most part, Christians (myself included for sure) rarely celebrate
this gift as would be appropriate. We are rarely as thankful as we should
be. To non-Christians the holiday doesn't represent anything except
tradition.
This got me thinking about what else might fall along
these lines: circumstances that I don't hold in the proper perspective of
thankfulness. My job is one. I do not enjoy my job. It casts a pall of
discontent and sadness over my life because everyday for 9-10 hours (only
8 on Saturdays) I'm occupied doing things I don't enjoy, feeling anxious,
stressed, alone, and inadequate. BUT... it easily pays all my bills and
provides great healthcare and I've learned a lot about managing
expectations and business practice and been exposed to several technical
areas as well. Ideally I'd be able to avoid the negative emotions
associated with my job and be thankful for all of the things it
provides for me.
My family is probably another such circumstance. Though I'd say I have
a good relationship with my parents, my brother and I are not very close.
In general I take my family almost for granted. Not to mention my
extended family who have all shown me a lot of love; enough that I don't
know how I'd be able to repay them.
I'll stop here; I won't go into how thankful I should be for my
upbringing, for my friends, for my talents and education, for my
opportunities, for my health, for the beautiful things on Earth... but there is clearly a lot of room for
being grateful.
So happy Thanksgiving this Easter!
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