Wat a Frickin Big "burd" Gracious Day!

Pic from http://thechicspy.com

I recently watched an episode of Carrie Diaries, a prequel TV series of the famous Sex and The City, and it was about the celebrated holiday season of Thanksgiving. And that kept me thinking of what’s the true meaning behind this significant day. When I was in my early teens and being a naïve Asian boy, I always associated Thanksgiving as Christmas. I always thought that it’s another term for Christmas but only according to the Americans. Silly me!

 

Pic from http://domesticdilettante.blogspot.com

I blamed it on the Turkey. Yeah it’s true that both festivities require the preparation and roasting of a frickin huge bird and it’s celebrated at the end of the year, however besides that there seem to be very little in common between both celebrations. Thanksgiving celebration is an American or Canadian tradition, while the Christmas is the celebration of Christ’s birth.

 

Mid-Autumn Festival, Chinese equivalent of American Thanksgiving (pic from http://www.chinesespring.org)

Being an Asian and living in Asia all my life, I have never actually celebrated Thanksgiving, well except for the Mid-Autumn festival, which is the chinese equivalent of American Thanksgiving. It’s not a secular holiday in this part of the world and it’s not part of our culture and tradition to celebrate it. Yes, we watched television and movies depicting how especially the Americans celebrate this day with full vigour and whole-heartedly, but it’s very much ignored by most in Asia. In fact most times, we won’t even realized until it’s over.

Pic from http://www.boston.com

So what’s Turkey Day celebration all about? Well Thanksgiving Day is a national holiday celebrated primarily in the United States and Canada as a day of giving thanks for the blessing of the harvest and of the preceding year. It is celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November in the United States and on the second Monday of October in Canada.

Turkey Ball?!? (pic from http://www.newgrounds.com)

But in today’s context and besides tradition, what is the real meaning behind this merriment occasion? To the Americans and Canadians, this holiday signifies a time for family bonding and special dinners with their loved ones while business take this opportunity to make a quick buck while some men look forward to their football games. But most important, the celebration of the day is to give thanks to God, our family and loved ones for providing our needs and wants.

So for whom should we thank besides our benevolent Divinity or higher Being for providing all our spiritual, relational and material blessings?

Pic from https://plus.google.com)

Should we thank ourselves? Do we thank our loved ones and friends? Or maybe our bosses and our colleagues? In my opinion, the question that is first to be answered is not Who we should give thanks to but Why we should be thankful instead. Regardless of where we are from, most of us are stuck in a rat race of this past paced world and have forgotten or simply ignored the fact of being thankful for so many great blessings that we possess.

Darkness and Bitterness, WTF Resentment? (pic from http://www.bende.com)

Some people find it hard to be thankful because of the problems and difficulties they are experiencing or have gone through. You may be in a challenging predicament at this moment and life may seem cruel and painful. But if we lose the ability to be appreciative due to our transient misery, we will be living in a constant darkness of bitterness and resentment where you’ll feel the whole world is against you.

Pic from http://randomviewpoints.wordpress.com

Regardless of our practiced religion or even if you’re an atheist, the act of being thankful is not just about religious conviction, it’s about being grateful and humble. It’s about the realization and affirmation of your existence in this world that you need help form others but more importantly that there are generous people out there who are willing to assist, share and love.

Pic from http://davidmschroeder.com

We need to be thankful as we have no choice but to live in the company of our beings and we are in constant need to survive in this world. From our families that provide us with unconditional love and support; our maids and cleaners at our apartments and offices who keep our premises clean; and our bosses and colleagues for their advice and guidance, there are so many people we should be thanking and so many reasons we should be thankful.

Typhoon Haiyan (pic from http://www.mirror.co.uk)

For the past year, our world has been hit by many natural disasters and because of that, many people’s lives were badly affected. The recent Typhoon Haiyan that struck Philippines was disastrous, killing thousands and leaving millions homeless. We should be thankful that we are safe in the comfort of our family and homes, while millions of Filipinos are suffering at such desperate times. May God be with them.

Be Thankful Everyday! (pic from http://makeyourownawesome.com)

We don’t just need a special day to remind us to be thankful. In fact, we should be thankful everyday. Don’t take for granted of our blessings but inversely, reach out to our loved ones, friends and colleagues and say thanks to them always. I believe that the Thanksgiving holiday was established to remind us to pause, breathe and remember to be grateful.

Thank you guys! (pic from http://tnation.t-nation.com)

So come this Thanksgiving day and regardless whether you’ll be celebrating or not, let it be the start of a more gracious living among us. Make your personal pledge of saying thanks to at least five persons everyday and make this world a better place to live.

Thank you Peeps! (pic from http://www.flickr.com)

I will start by first thanking my parents for bringing me into this world, teaching and guiding me along the way; my siblings and relatives for their affection and patience, my dear friends for always being there for me, my partner for loving me unconditionally; and finally my silent readers and ardent supporters of this blog, for giving me the courage and stamina to continue this arduous blogging journey! A big thank you to all and have a great Thanksgiving celebration!

This is Jimen signing out! Be happy and be grateful always! Cheers.