In this year when the world seems to go upside down repeatedly; in this season so deeply troubled by the surging pandemic and the epidemic of political malpractice, some may struggle to find something to be thankful for, while others may simply be thankful for being able to take the next breath. When the world seems so deeply divided and healing seems a far way off, it can be hard to imagine where a sense of harmony and unity might be found.

There’s an old story of another time when people suffered the loss of many lives and lived under threat from both illness and violent conflicts. Some folks turned a man that many looked up to and considered to be a holy person. They wondered if they had been forsaken and asked why so many people did not see god anymore. The holy man reflected quietly, then answered that people did not see god because they did not look down far enough. 

There are times when a big gathering or large feast can have a reverse effect and wind up endangering life, rather than celebrating it. Sometimes what we seek outside ourselves must be found deeper within.

The need to find the underlying holiness of life is at the root of all traditions of gathering to give thanks. What we now call “the holidays,” used to be known as the holy days. Like health and healing, the roots of holy come from an inner sense of wholeness and sacred unity that underlies all of life.

The original point of having holidays was to stop the rush of time and the crush of daily life in order to find moments of wholeness despite and because of the dangers and conflicts that can turn people against each other. As most people can attest, simply gathering for a Thanksgiving feast does not mean that the divisions that plague the world of politics or the fault lines found within families will simply disappear.

Thankfulness comes from the old root word “gratia,” that also gives us gratitude as well as grace. In that sense, what we seek in giving thanks are moments of gratitude that can bring a sense of grace back to the world. This can happen in small ways that do not require large gatherings, an abundance of food or any pretension that everyone might agree on life’s issues. 

Genuine gratitude comes from a deep place in the heart where pain can also reside. Being grateful is a state of being in which we find a sense of wholeness that includes some knowledge of human suffering. Seen that way, gratitude involves a flowering of the soul in which even a small sense of gratefulness can generate a full sense of abundance. At such times, the pain of separation and isolation is redeemed, at least for a moment. 

In these dark and confusing times, amidst growing uncertainty about so many aspects of life, finding a sense of genuine gratitude for the gift of life, for the gift of love and for the respect of others is more important than ever. Even if we are fortunate enough to feel safe, we all know people who are sick or alone or suffering in this dark time on earth.

When the world keeps turning upside down it can be time to look down and to feel deeper inside in order to find the people and aspects of life that we are truly grateful for. We need occasions of grace and gratitude however small they may be. We need moments of wholeness to rekindle our spirits and ease our souls. We need to feel that life, despite all the existing divisions and conflicts, remains holy, and that healing remains possible. Sometimes, that is the best we can do and all that we need to do in order to reconnect to and contribute to the holiness of life.