MAHALO
Thanksgiving is a pleasant holiday - a time to pause and give thanks, a time of reflection.
Also a time for looking
ahead - as the fallow earth lies to be renewed. As bellies are fed to be renewed.
Gratitude is not only a recognition of what has been done, but hope for things to come. As a Christian, my gratitude is directed towards my ohana - the family back in the contiguous states, and my friends who are becoming my ohana here. My gratitude is informed by the story of a great, a magnificent God who has been and is at work in the world; a God visible in the beauty of creation and the rhythms of seasons. My gratitude is also informed by the telling of stories - sharing traditions, memories of loved one's - the tales that connect generations.
It's also a day to stop and remember those who don't have: family, love, material needs, material pleasures that those of us who blog and read blogs can afford. Let our thanksgiving not be a means of avoiding the true spirit of thanksgiving: inviting strangers and the hungry to our table.
