It is (was) Thanksgiving after all, which explains our inclination to give thanks. Here at Pepperdine, we are all so "blessed", as it is most commonly put. Our campus is huddled safely between mountains and ocean, which is priceless. We have the Pacific ocean right at our feet and an army of knowledgeable, helpful and understanding teachers and staff. I am thankful for OneStop, for helping me through my helpless stumble through registration for spring. I am even thankful for the omelettes at the Cafe, but only the ones made by Francisco. Francisco makes the best omelettes.
In the early American days, there was only a harvest to give thanks for, but our lives are now abound with people, places and memories. The act of giving thanks can be seen as a basic courtesy. It is just a verbal expression. We thank everyone from the cashier at the checkout line, to the chivalrous stranger who held a door open for you. That's why it is important not to devalue the thanks you give. Like the settlers giving thanks for their harvest, we should be thankful for the people and the circumstances that keep us alive. But then again, we are entitled to a lot of these, like clean water, electricity, high-speed internet, and loving parents.
What really warms my heart on Thanksgiving, though, is receiving thanks. Actions speak louder than words, and as such, the thanks we receive are testaments to our actions. Good deeds beget good deeds, reciprocal like the relationships we share with the people and places we love. It is more important to give "living" thanks through our actions and through our lives, because essentially, a word of thanks is a mere verbal acknowledgment. Thanksgiving just makes it socially acceptable to acknowledge our loyalties and our love.
To thank through living requires mindfulness in all of its ways -- not just in the basic sense of being aware and conscious of your inner and outer worlds. To be present is to be mindful, and to act on your mindfulness, directing it to what's most important, and not being clouded by frivolity and impulse. Most importantly, we have to accept that there are some things we cannot change, and some things we have to let go of. Everything happens for a reason and I guess I am thankful for it all.
