Understanding Another’s Thanksgiving

by Bill Love

It was one of those extended family Thanksgivings. Before the prayer at the table, the patriarch asked to say something.

“You will see three kernels of Indian corn beside your plates,” he said. “You can eat them if you want. But I want them to represent three great blessings we should be thankful for on this Thanksgiving Day. The first stands for the freedoms we enjoy as Americans. The second stands for our family. What a wonderful blessing it is to have one another! The third kernel stands for electricity. So we have much to be thankful for on this Thanks-giving Day.”

At the time the family thought Grandfather had slipped a cog or two. Freedom, family, and electricity! How could he put those three on a par? Had he just become somewhat materialistic in his advanced years? For years to come, the family would recall his statement as an amusing anecdote of a Thanksgiving past.

Then, a long time later, the truth began to dawn. This man was born and reared in rural America long before the coming of electricity. Those who had grown up commanding a whole lifestyle by flipping a switch could not possibly understand what the coming of electricity had meant in his life.

Some of our blessings are shared and obvious to all. Others are special to each person. Perhaps understanding another’s Thanksgiving makes our own Thanksgiving richer.