I smiled and waved to my neighbor’s young daughter. She doesn’t realize my faithfulness to putting up a new flag weekly, always seasonal or holy day themed, stems from her dad’s revelation, a few years ago, that she looks for and talks about the various flags. Her favorite is the cartoonish parrot holding a cocktail in his hand that goes up at some point in the summer (soon to be replaced by a child-friendly version). I’m sensing a fondness for birds.

With Thanksgiving around the corner, and Advent and Christmas not far behind, there will be no dearth of flags in the coming months, signaling the seasons and some of what we hold dear as a family.  Certainly, there is great meaning in the seasons soon upon us, meaning that is deeper than a nod from a fluttering flag.
[[In-content Ad]]

Though not a religious holiday, I’ve always felt Thanksgiving was the perfect precursor to Advent and Christmas. It struck me deeply one year when our choir rehearsed “Where Your Treasure Is,” based on Luke 12:34, “Where your treasure is, there also will be your heart.”

It had been a difficult year, journeying with family through serious health issues, and I struggled with the thoughts of the holidays ahead, and the prospect of setting a Thanksgiving table when I was losing a sense of gratitude. Then we sang, “Where your treasure is, there your heart shall be, all that you possess shall never set you free; seek the things that last, come and learn from me; where your treasure is your heart shall be.”

Of course, I choked back tears, but I also remembered something I learned as a teacher of religion. The Hebrew term for gratitude is Hakarat Hatov, which means, literally, “recognizing the good.”  I was reminded that practicing gratitude means recognizing the good that is already ours, and by allowing gratitude to fill our hearts, we make it possible for any moment to be a time of thanksgiving.

A holiday like Thanksgiving, built on gratitude, recognizing the good and the blessings that are ours despite any struggle, or perhaps because of it, is a perfect time to focus on where our true treasure lies—a perfect beginning for Advent, a time of waiting and reflection on the eternal good that became ours on the first Christmas.

This year, let us include “thank you,” among our prayers during the upcoming holy seasons. May we pray it often and sincerely and be prepared for the transformation.

Mary Clifford Morrell is the author of “Things My Father Taught Me About Love” and “Let Go and Live: Reclaiming your life by releasing your emotional clutter.”