Gather to Give Thanks

I rarely sit down just to watch TV. But sometimes a story or a sentence or a phrase or even one word catches my attention as I pass a TV. For example, this week, I’ve heard the word Friendsgiving used by different people in various situations. I finally sat down long enough to look it up on the Internet. *

I learned that it was first used in 2007 but wasn’t added to the Merriam-Webster dictionary until January 2020. Basically, it’s the day you choose to celebrate an informal Thanksgiving with your friends. It can be in addition to or in lieu of the traditional Thanksgiving celebration you have with your family on the fourth Thursday in November.

I’m all for celebrating with friends as well as with family. But I hope that Friendsgiving and Thanksgiving gatherings will remind us to thank God for the loved ones and the countless other special blessings He sends into our lives every day.  May each celebration be more than an opportunity to stuff ourselves with delicious food or to show off our homes and cooking skills. May it be a time when all who gather together around a bountiful table gratefully acknowledge the One from whom all blessings come. May He be the Guest of Honor. May all that’s said and done be pleasing to Him.

*   https://www.delish.com/food-news/a33957858/what-is-friendsgiving/