Pausing for a moment of gratitude this Thanksgiving

The hard-fought midterm elections were followed closely by that most American of holidays, Thanksgiving Day. Perhaps a small pause is in order to consider the importance, personal and civic, of gratitude. According to Cicero, “A thankful heart is not only the greatest virtue, but the parent of all the other virtues.”

Gratitude shares the Latin root gratia with grace, graciousness and gratefulness: a thoughtful appreciation for what one has received, called in some traditions “blessings.” It is perhaps not surprising that psychology research finds a strong connection between conscious, grateful acknowledgement of the good things in our lives and greater happiness. Find the good you’ve experienced this year. Focus on it.

For me, an inventory of those good things includes people (family, friends, colleagues and neighbors), material possessions (does the dog count here?), personal health and well-being, and my spiritual and social communities. I also include my politically involved friends and acquaintances. Those I disagree with are a particular blessing. These are people you know you can count on, and they help sharpen my thinking.

I am deeply grateful to live in a country where the individual person’s right to “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness” is the core value, and where freedom of speech and religion are constitutionally protected.

Life in a place as beautiful as Tompkins County is also a reason for gratitude. Looking toward sunrise over Lake Cayuga, I was reminded of an old story that someone once asked God, “What is your favorite spot?” And God reached out, touched the Earth and said, “Here!” leaving a handprint, which became the Finger Lakes.

The dissension that affects us is mild compared with what surrounded President Abraham Lincoln’s proclamation of a National Day of Thanksgiving on Oct. 3, 1863. That was only two months after the Battle of Gettysburg, the bloodiest battle of the Civil War, with over 50,000 men killed, wounded or captured. That’s roughly .16% of the U.S.’s population at the time (.16% of today’s population would be roughly 500,000 casualties).

Lincoln’s decision was influenced by Sarah Josepha Hale, who had been campaigning for it since 1846. Hale was the first woman magazine editor in America. In 1863, she was literary editor of Godey’s Lady’s Book, the largest such magazine in the country, with a circulation of 150,000. She shared Lincoln’s desire to bring people together, even as the war continued.

Lincoln chose Nov. 26, 1863, as the day for national thanksgiving. Every president after Lincoln made a similar annual proclamation, and in 1942, President Franklin Roosevelt set the fourth Thursday in November permanently as Thanksgiving Day in the United States.

Along the way, our Thanksgiving Day traditions emerged. We gather with family, and this became more important as the country became more urban and family members began to live farther apart. People of every faith tradition are included in our feasts, and many of us take care to invite acquaintances to share the traditional meal.

Football joined the tradition in 1876 when Yale played Princeton (final score 2-0). The first parade with Santa Claus at the end was put on in 1920 by the Gimbel’s department store in Philadelphia. Macy’s in New York picked up that torch in 1924 and added the huge balloons in 1927.

As the Encyclopedia Britannica notes, “The holiday associated with Pilgrims and Native Americans has come to symbolize intercultural peace, America’s opportunity for newcomers, and the sanctity of home and family.”

The political cagefights of the past decade have damaged that peace. A Siena College-New York Times poll found that 19% of registered voters said recent disagreements with family or friends over political issues have hurt their relationships (tinyurl.com/2zmz6kz8). For those, like me, who have been rejected from decades-long friendships because I voted for an “unacceptable” political candidate, this leaves a lasting pain.

The current situation calls up another part of Lincoln’s speech, in which he said, “I recommend to [all Americans] that they do also, with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience, … fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty Hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it as soon as may be consistent with the Divine purposes to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquility and Union.”

I am grateful for all who share that vision.

Republican View appears in the last edition of the month in Tompkins Weekly.