Truly thankful
By Patrick Kelley
Originally published 06:00 a.m., November 22, 2007
Updated 02:29 p.m., November 21, 2007
Today, the front page of The Gazette is devoted to people giving thanks.
Over the weekend, photographers, reporters and editors grabbed cameras and went about town, asking friends, neighbors and strangers what they were thankful for.
It turns out, people say they have a lot to be thankful for, but they are often thankful for the same things — family, friends and life itself.
A stop Sunday morning at the coffee hour at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church found a lot of people who were also thankful for their church and the part it has played in their lives. Granted, there was a little jocular urging from the priest, but most of the people who responded said they intended to mention the church anyway.
A little girl, Zoe Dyer, skipped the PR and cut to the quick with a one-word answer:
“God.”
Think of her reply as the Cliff’s Notes version of “Praise God, from whom all blessings flow.”
It is interesting that the things most people are thankful for are things that are essentially free — or beyond price: the ability to love and the grace to be loved; acceptance by and participation in a community; and the greatest and most common gift of all — life.
Gathered around the table today, there is no need to think of new things to give thanks for. Stick with the old reliables.
You’ll be in good company.