Thought for Sunday, November 23, 2014: Giving Thanks

Being brought up as a Christian in a Sicilian household with a Mother hailing from Mississippi, Thanksgiving was a much anticipated holiday. There was the obligatory saying of Grace, table full of food, and house full of family and friends. Traditional turkey eventually gave way to ham, pork roast, lasagna, and so many other tasty dishes than the same ol' "hit or miss" turkey that would usually turn out being a self-proclaiming prophecy - a turkey. I still try to keep turkey and cornbread stuffing on the menu just to pay homage to the tradition, however. Plenty of turkey neck meat and fresh broth, with cubes of mom's iron skillet cornbread, all tossed together with sauteed onions, celery, walnuts, cranberries, and spices. I am so glad it's almost lunch.

Saying Grace slowly gave way to an uncomfortable mumbling of something unintelligible from one of the attendees to the Thanksgiving meal, and the tradition of "saying Grace" was eventually forgotten by most people altogether or left to some smartass yelling out "GRACE!" before the table became a mass of reaching arms. Some atheists must have been thrilled not to be put through the thirty second agony of deifying the holiday with Grace.

Prayers of thanks and special thanksgiving ceremonies are common among almost all religions after harvests and at other times. The Thanksgiving holiday's history in North America is rooted in English traditions dating from the Protestant Reformation.

-- Wikipedia, "Thanksgiving" 

Well, stand by for news.  The League of the Perpetually Offended (LPO) will probably target this holiday next.  The mere fact that any day is referred to as a holiday (aka, holy day) will have this group uncomfortably dissatisfied even though the term "holiday" has become a generic reference to any recognized celebration we take off from work to celebrate.  The fact that some folks still link God to a holiday is just salt in an open wound to the LPO.  Everyone in the LPO still, hypocritically, wants the day off, but they want God left out of the equation.  Kind of like Christmas not being linked to the birth of Christ, it makes little sense except to those the holiday has no meaning for.  

On the secular side, the LPO has also gone after Halloween with the long accepted costumes depicting ghosts and goblins.  Oh, wait, that would be Wiccan based and, therefore, probably under attack by the Christian arm of the LPO; the CLPO as I call them, as opposed to the other two major religious arms, the JLPO, ILPO, or the secular ALPO and LGBTLPO (if you're an avid reader of my posts you might remember this latter might be more properly referred to as the "LGBTQQ" LPO, only now I'm even more confused.)  Regardless, it would seem the days of small children, and some adults, dressed up in costumes of Tweety Bird, Casper, Puddy Tat, and Jason Voorhies, are numbered.  More's the pity. 

If it isn't one group sucking the fun, peace and tranquility out of our lives, it's another. If we don't have a group to attack something, give it a few days and I'm certain one will rear its rabidly divisive head. It is what unhappy people tend to do; drag other people down with them to wallow in feelings of self-pity, inadequacy, meanness, anger, intolerance and selfishness. This all denotes a general lack of imagination; a one dimensional being that celebrates the truth that it is so much easier to tear down than to build. To quote Rodney King, "Can't we all get along?"

It really must really suck being perpetually offended, though it speaks volumes of the people who are, God bless their lil' ol' hearts. What makes this even more confusing is that the perpetually offended, most times, don't even realize they are and will deny it if confronted. Only non-members can usually tell if someone follows the path of the perpetually offended. And, if we find these people perpetually offensive, what does this say about us? Oh, crap! Could we also unknowingly be members of the perpetually offended? Hmmmm... Makes my head want to explode.

"I am grateful for what I am and have.  My thanksgiving is perpetual.  It is surprising how contented one can be with nothing definite - only a sense of existence.  Well, anything for variety.  I am ready to try this for the next ten thousand years, and exhaust it.

O how I laugh when I think of my vague indefinite riches.  No run on my bank can drain it, for my wealth is not possession but enjoyment."

-- Henry David Thoreau

I found a Baptist church in our little town that feeds the needy once a week. They will be providing a Thanksgiving meal for over two hundred people that can't afford it. Dad and I have been in contact with them and will be assisting in providing some of the food on their list. Actually, I'm not sure if dad realizes how much money I am planning to spend or he might consider an LPO charter membership. I enjoyed talking to the folks at the kitchen and will probably end up volunteering some time there as well supplying some food every now and again. The ministry is looking to take the project to a daily meal five days per week and will be in need of extra hands. This is my definition of "Thanksgiving."

This holiday season, try your damnedest not to be offended. Try not to offend anyone (please don't do as I do, follow your own path). And, above all, try to show a smidgen more tolerance and love for anyone you think is a member of the LPO. You might just turn their world around.

May God bless, love, and keep us, one and all.

"When asked if my cup is half-full or half-empty my only response is that I am thankful I have a cup"

-- Sam Lefkowitz

Note from Pastor Tony, the founder of the Congregation for Religious Tolerance, as well as the author and editor of "The Path," the Congregation's official blogsite:  

Before you go getting your panties in a bunch,  or offended, it is essential to understand that this is just an opinion site and, as such, can be subjected to scrutiny by anyone with a differing opinion.  It doesn't make either opinion any more right or wrong than the other.  An opinion, presented in this context, is a way of inciting others to think and, hopefully, to form opinions of their own, if they haven't already done so.

It is my fervent hope that we keep open and active minds when reading opinions and then engaging in peaceful, constructive, discussion and debate in an arena of mutual respect concerning the opinions put forth.  After over twenty years as a military intelligence analyst, planner, and briefer, I have come to believe engaging each other in this manner and in this arena is the way we will learn tolerance and respect for differing beliefs, cultures, and viewpoints.

We all fall from grace, some more often than others; it is part of being human.  God's test for us is what we do afterward, and what we learn from the experience.

  

Frank Anthony Villari, Pastor