Faith Venture

May your 2026 be filled with blessings and generosity and kindness. And may you face your challenges with grace and strength.

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Today is celebrated in America as Thanksgiving Day. Somewhat based on a story (true or not, doesn’t matter) about the English settlers in what’s now called New England celebrating surviving a year plus a harvest. We celebrate with family dinners and the traditional turkey. 

Some people will have a struggle this year. Family members who passed away. Relationships strained due to politics, gender identity, sharp words thoughtlessly spoken.

Perhaps stories of things that have happened or people who came into our lives could help ease the pain. Perhaps pausing our hot buttons and listening to the stories of others would help. Perhaps just being generous and serving.

Perhaps serving others today. There are community Thanksgiving dinners where homeless and less privileged people are served a decent meal.

Mostly, pausing to remember all for which we should be grateful and often overlook.

I wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving no matter what.

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I must take a break from our regularly scheduled programming and either congratulate or extend sympathy to my wife for putting up with me for 55 years as of today. I was such an immature kid, can’t believe she survived. (Some people say I haven’t changed…)

Today is a national holiday, which many people will not observe officially. The official purpose includes remembrance for those who fought and died in wars to protect our country. My great-grandmother when I was quite young called the day “Decoration Day”—a day of remembrance to visit grave sites of deceased family and decorate the site.

I observed 25 Memorial Day weekends at a youth soccer tournament. So, I am a perpetrator of the idea that this last weekend of May is the official beginning of the summer season.

I’ve not compiled an exhaustive list, but it appears to me that most countries have some form of a Memorial Day of remembrance.

Wherever you are—pause today to remember and reflect. It’s good for the soul.

Don’t let the seeds stop you from enjoying the watermelon.

We can focus on what others do that annoys us preventing us from enjoying the kindness and helpfulness of others.

We can lose ourselves thinking on our problems, or we can pause and enjoy the beauty of the day.

Don’t practice negative thoughts preventing you from resting in gratefulness for that which you have.

Thanks to Seth Godin for the thought.

People in the US celebrate Thanksgiving holiday today.

It is traditionally a time for overeating, families meeting, families arguing (or hiding the disagreements behind a smiling veneer). 

Except for those who must work today. Commerce now never takes a day off.

The best celebration takes only a few moments.

Pause.

Reflect on those people, events, and situations for which we are deeply grateful. Or even those that touch us however briefly that leave a scent of fresh life.

Perhaps make a list. In your mind. Write it. Say thank you.

Perhaps a list of those that caused some grief. Write it on paper. Tear it into small pieces and toss in the rubbish. Say good bye.

In America today is Thanksgiving Day. A national holiday. I was taught that it commemorates a meal after the 17th Century English Pilgrims in what is now Massachusetts survived a year and the people already living in the land provided food for a feast.

For some it is a time for family. Gathering the extended family for a turkey dinner. I have an Italian friend who told me she saw a video once about a traditional American Thanksgiving dinner and it looked nice.

Many have families torn apart by death or anger or misunderstanding. I imagine it is difficult to think of gratitude at those times. Psychologists tell us that conjuring gratitude even in those circumstances helps our mental/emotional balance. But, who am I to tell people that?

Many other people use the day both for gratitude and generosity. They provide food for homeless people and people whose economic fortunes are low. Some people in the community I lived in provided a community Thanksgiving dinner bringing together people who were alone and people less fortunate. A great idea of generosity and gratitude.

Instead of just one day, perhaps we could use the day, even those of you from around the world who read these words, to start a pattern of daily gratitude and generosity. Imagine what a world it would be if even half of the population practiced that!

The world became even crazier this week. The war in Ukraine appears to be reaching a stalemate situation where they just keep senselessly killing people and destroying property. Then Hamas invades Israel. I’ll not get into why this and why that. It’s a tension that builds and necessarily reaches a pressure point occasionally and explodes.

Yet, here I am. Safe from those atrocities. Home again from another technology conference where I met with old friends and new friends and discussed software and technology that solves problems to make the world a better place.

I, and millions (billions?) of people like me, have much for which to be grateful.

We must not only accept our situation as such, but express thanks to God and those around us for our being in this favorable situation.

Do not take it for granted. Things can change tomorrow. Be grateful today.

“It is impossible to feel grateful and depressed in the same moment.”

I have lately found myself with deep feelings of gratitude lately. Not all decisions I made in my life were good. In fact, I’d hate to tally a score. But there are enough that I look at what might have been—and I am so grateful.

Gratitude is not a subject often enough here, I suppose. Wise people advise keeping a gratitude journal. I tried that once. Mostly it was repetitive. Nothing wrong with that. I strive for balance in life.

I’ve also seldom  been depressed. Even in a non-clinical sense. Problems? Sure. Wishing I could extricate myself from a situation? Oh, yes. But the emotion? Seldom, if ever.

Gratitude rests like a warm blanket surrounding you. You get used to it and forget to notice it. Until sometimes you become aware of a past situation and feel the warmth within and around.

And we pause and acknowledge deep gratitude. And in that warmth, how can we be depressed in the moment?