Wednesday, November 21, 2001
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Wednesday, November 21, 2001 |
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Grace & Gratitude By
SALLIE SATTERTHWAITE
This is the time when Americans expect to feel gratitude. For some, this year, it will not come easily. I'm aware, myself, of mild depression, the dull background ache of a sorrowing heart. Someone has taken the fun out of life. And I think what hurts the most is knowing we'll never regain the innocence that crumbled like concrete and steel on Sept. 11. Some say it's time we were jolted out of our naiveté and self-centeredness. Too cruelly, my heart protests. No nation deserved Sept. 11. It will take years to rebuild both our cities and our sense of security. I have long believed that the Marshall Plan was one of the most splendid undertakings in the history of humankind, and I have every confidence we will repeat that magnificent gesture for those who will suffer most in our present engagement. And for that I give thanks. Never mind the absence of nostalgia and "warm fuzzies" this year. We must give thanks whether we feel like it or not. Thanksgiving is not optional, after all. Most of us were taught that we owe our very being to a loving God and, as children should express appreciation for the good gifts loving parents give them, so should we to God. Moreover, our federal and state governments have mandated a day for giving thanks since the first colonists landed on these shores. Considering the winters that reduced their numbers by half, considering the hardships suffered by those who did survive, one can imagine our forebears occasionally going to the wellsprings of thankfulness and finding them dry. Thanksgiving is not optional. It may not flow freely this year, as it did not flow freely during the flu epidemics, the Great Depression, and the conflicts which have ensnared us in virtually every decade. We may need to recite mechanically the blessings of life after Sept. 11. Like children being reminded "What do you say to Aunt Susie, honey?" we may mutter "Thanks" because it is expected. But say it we must. Giving thanks is a habit instilled in childhood. For that I give thanks. And for our general well-being. For comforts taken for granted. For good memories. For the love of family and friends. For health care unsurpassed in human history. For the beauty of the earth, anytime, but especially now. For public safety workers, defending us at home as never before. For leadership in the least expected places. And as we tell our children after we remind them of how they've been blessed, our willingness to share is the measure of our gratitude. Gratitude and grace both words are rooted in the Latin word for "pleasing."
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