There is nothing quite so beautiful as autumn. It’s the season when splendor in the grass becomes luster in the leaves. It’s nature’s great pageantry. The trees change so quickly, don’t they? Infinite shades of green become oranges, reds and yellows. And soon they fall to the ground, those leaves, auburn gyres in the wind, dancing to nature’s symphony.
There’s work to be done, raking those leaves in autumn, packing away our summer gear, winterizing. We’re so busy, aren’t we…working, planning, plodding through life, making ends meet? Who has time to notice the leaves? Before we know it, the world looks dead, dominated by grays and browns, and we can’t wait for spring. Yes, there’s nothing quite so beautiful as autumn… but it happens so fast, and then it’s gone. We rarely take time to look. We’re so busy, aren’t we? Yes, busy until we pause on one special day in the middle of fall to give thanks.
Of all the holidays throughout the year, Thanksgiving has always been my favorite. American to the core, it’s a tradition of feast and frenzy, like Autumn’s Mardi Gras. We come together as family and friends over dinner, holding hands, giving thanks and praise for all things big and small. It’s one day of peace in this mutilated world, isn’t it?
My excitement for this day builds for months. It always starts with an ephemeral shiver, walking outside on that one, random, extra-cold morning at the height of summer when the length of our daylight has crested and the weeks are seemingly endless with stifling heat. This year, it was September 9th when Old Man Winter breezed through town and caught me off guard, when the surface of skin met blistering cold and a reflexive quiver foretold the coming of fall. From that day forth, anticipation amplified for Thanksgiving.
Autumn’s crescendo comes in the end of November, flanked by the Beaver Moon. In the north, the air is crisp, the earth is hard, the leaves are long gone from the trees. If you look closely at the grass around dawn, the blades are all covered in frost – dew frozen in the darkness of night – and the path of the sun is just long enough to transform it back into dew, before the cycle begins anew. It’s so beautiful, if you look closely at the grass.
And, if you listen closely, through the thin morning breeze and the wind in the trees, you can hear the sound of the local high school’s marching band, practicing before the big game. And then come the whistles, the crashing of pads, and the cheers of the crowd come to watch. Then, the world falls into a deep and majestic silence, if you listen through the wind in the trees.
If you spend enough time outside, you can see your breath in the air, for a moment, before it disappears to Providence. Your eyes will water, your cheeks get cold, and you may feel goosebumps on your legs. You pull your sleeves down over your hands and your hood up over your head to stay warm, so you can stay outside a little bit longer, to see your breath in the air.
If you close your eyes and take a deep breath, you just might notice that campfire smell flowing from someone’s chimney. You see loved ones gathered, warmed by the fire and each other. There’s love and joy, family and friends, carried in the breeze, that campfire smell you notice… a reminder of all you can see, if you close your eyes and take a deep breath.
When you go inside, your cheeks are all red, the house is warm and filled with love; each room permeated by the universal and unmistakable scents of Thanksgiving dinner. You snack and talk and joke and smile; delight in the warmth and love… when you go inside.
We all gather ‘round the table for peace, don’t we…? And, just before we feast and fight about politics and pass out on the couch watching football, we pause. Some say grace, all give thanks in their own way, and in that moment we notice the world’s boundless beauty. We’re so busy, but not in that moment when we stop to give thanks and praise, gathered ‘round the table for peace.
Steeped in tradition, American to the core, a day to take notice, a day to give thanks, a day to find peace. Thanksgiving. It’s my favorite holiday of the year! I hope you’ll take some time to notice the beauty of the world.
Happy Thanksgiving to all.