It’s Thanksgiving week in the United States, that time of year when we all start thinking a little more precisely about what it means to be thankful.

In my household, Thanksgiving always including making an "I'm thankful for..." list.

It’s a beloved pre-thanksgiving meal activity I’ve participated in since childhood when my grandmother would ask even the youngest of her grandchildren to express gratitude for something by drawing a picture, sharing a song with the family, or my cousin Ellis’ favorite, the yearly reading of the Dear Abby thanksgiving prayer.

I loved, growing up that our family even had a church service (led by the children) before we ate that included songs, skits and readings. There's no wonder I ended up as a pastor. . . 

Thanksgiving, in my mind is just not thanksgiving without verbal, personal expressions of gratitude.

And this year:

We might say we’re thankful for our access to enjoy tasty food.

We might say we’re thankful for the love of our family or friends.

We might say that we’re thankful for our health, especially if we or someone we love has faced a health scare recently.

But, might our gratitude go a little deeper than this?

While I’m all for public declarations of gratitude, I’ve often felt these types of lists are robotic at best.

But what we avoid is the deeper stuff.

For it might feel just a little too vulnerable to say:

I’m thankful for the months of renewal in my marriage after years of thinking I’d made such a terrible choice in a life partner.

I’m thankful the days when my estranged friend picked up the phone to call me. Things aren’t like the used to be, but they’re getting better.

I’m thankful for one of the worst seasons at my job—days when I worked long hours and never thought my boss was never pleased—for the endurance it’s given me to know what I want next in my career.

Or, I'm thankful I finally sought help for my depression, my alcoholism, my anxiety, etc.

“I’m thankful” statements like this is what I’d love to hear more of, wouldn’t you?

For they speak to real life.

Life that we all experience.

Life that is hard. Life that is messy. And, life that can ultimately be beautiful if we just allow time and grace to do it’s healing work.

I'm reading Brene Brown's new book, Rising Strong right now. And she captured me from the first couple of pages with words like this about the gifts of vulnerability.

"I believe that vulnerability-- the willingness to show up and be seen with no guarantee of outcome-- is the only path to more love, belonging and joy. . . When we own our stories, we avoid being trapped as characters in stories someone else is telling."

And I agree with her.

For when we speak of with one another is real, our hearts open.

Our fists loosen.

Our arms unfold.

In this position, gratitude is actually transmitted one person to another.

And in a world in need so much healing, so much love, so much hope that evil hasn't won in a month of so much terror-- don't we need more REAL gratitude?

Not the plastic kind?

I know that not every thanksgiving table is ready for this type of sharing. Some tables just aren’t safe places for you and I to lay the burdens and joys of our hearts open to, and we should be mindful of this.

But, we all can find somebody this week—somebody we can give testimony to of our REAL gratitude.

Somebody in whom we could say something like, “You know what, this has been one of the most horrible years of my life, but I am so grateful for . . . ."

Or better yet, seek out a person for whom you are grateful for and let them know how much they mean to you!

I know, for one, I’m grateful for you, dear readers of “Preacher on the Plaza.” Your interest in my words encourages me continually. Happiest of thanksgivings to you!

I've been thinking a lot lately about the blessings of life, in particular how much I have to be grateful for. Though it's not that season when gratitude is what we normally to talk about (several more months to November!), I've been taking stock of how much I really do have to be thankful. Light has come to some really dark places in my life and in the lives of those I love the most and for this I can't help but name aloud the Lord's provisions.

And this is what I know: if we wait long enough and wait some more, I do believe that God will meet all our needs in accordance with the people we were made to be! This is not to say that every unresolved situation in and around us get resolved. No, but it does mean that we are given what we need to keep going, to take the next step. I call this provision: God's love for us.

So, today I wanted to share some of the things currently on my gratitude list. Maybe it will encourage you to make one too.

• Feed the Children. Though Kevin has just begun his work there, I can already tell how our relationship as a family with this amazing organization is going to be the source of so many blessings in our lives-- opportunities to meet new people, opportunities for us to both grow professionally and opportunities to give back out of the richness of our blessings given to us. Kevin is so happy in his new job. It is joy to watch from the sidelines!

• Opportunities for rest. It is good to reconnect with Kevin over the weekend in FL as we've been a part for a while (which is never very much fun). I'm excited that my writing Rev. friend, Ruth, will be leading Washington Plaza's services while I'm away. And, really taking my day off today is a very wonderful thing!

• New learning. I spoke aloud the desire I had a couple of months ago to learn more about spiritual direction and soon it all came to be! I'm looking forward to the week ahead that awaits in California as I will begin training in the practice of spiritual direction at the Chaplaincy Institute for Arts and Interfaith Ministries.  I'm going to be learning more in the next several weeks about ministry to folks both in and outside the Christian tradition. Stay tuned for more updates.

• The joy of friendships old and new. Helen Keller once said: “I would rather walk with a friend in the dark, than alone in the light." And such has been true of those who continue to walk with me right now. Our lives may not be perfect, but we are willing to share them with one another and such makes all the difference! Or as Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, "The glory of friendship is not the outstretched hand, not the kindly smile, nor the joy of companionship; it is the spiritual inspiration that comes to one when you discover that someone else believes in you and is willing to trust you with a friendship.”  I'm glad I have people in my life who are willing to share their lives so openly with me which encourages me to do the same. We are all the better for it, I believe.  

• And the moments of joy that come in my work. Moments like finding I have been kissed by an elderly woman during our communion service as I gave her bread. (My cheeks were stained in red lipstick through the rest of  the worship service as the congregation erupted in laughter that I couldn't figure out where it came from!) Moments like talking about end of the life plans with those who are facing impending death. Moments like finding something I said in a sermon touching the life situation of someone who lost hope in God's provisions for her.

So, today I give thanks. I give thanks for all of these things, all of God's provisions. And I give thanks for you, my faithful blog readers for letting me share more of my story with you each time I post. I am blessed.

And you- what can you say "thank you, thank you, thank you" for today? Anne Lamott said once that this is the best prayer of them all!