Courtenay Evans, “Thanksgiving Day 2024”
I am filled with joy
When the day dawns quietly
Over the roof of the sky.
Life was wonderful
In winter,
But did winter make me happy?
No, I always worried
About hides for boot-soles
And for boots;
And if there’d be enough
For all of us
Yes, I worried constantly.
Life was wonderful
In summer.
But did summer make me happy?
No, I always worried.
About reindeer skins and rugs for the platform.
Yes, I worried constantly.
Life was wonderful
When you stood at your fishing-hole
On the ice.
But was I happy waiting at my fishing hole?
No, I was always worried
For my little hook,
In case it never got a bite.
Yes, I worried constantly
Life was wonderful
When you danced in the feasting- house.
But did this make me any happier?
No, I always worried
I’d forget my song.
Yes, I worried constantly.
This poem comes from an Eskimo Song. And Eskimos, also known as Inuits, are the indigenous peoples of Alaska and the Artic region. They live quite a distance from us, yet the words of their song are completely relatable, aren’t they? Worry, worry, worry. I heard one definition of worry/stress/ and anxiety as being the result of an unhealthy relationship with the present moment. I will speak for myself, but I have become very keenly aware of how often my mind shifts towards worrying about the future or worrying about the events or conversations of the past.
There is a story about a monk and his student. The monk asks the student: “What has been the most important day of your life?” The student responds: “The day I was born.” The monk then asks the student: “What is the most important thing you have ever done?” The student replies: “I think it was the day I decided to become a monk.” Finally, the elder monk asks the student: “What is the most important place you have ever been?” The student responds: “To a pilgrimage spot, a sacred mountain.” The elder monk responds to the student: “Those are all incredibly beautiful things, but you have missed the purpose of the teachings. The most important moment in your life is right now. The most important thing you have ever done in your life happens to be what you are doing right now. And the most important place you have ever been, is where you are right now. It is all about the present moment.”
In our Gospel reading today, Jesus says “I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear. And in fact, Jesus even goes on to say, that worrying will not add a single hour to our lifespan! So please, don’t worry, Jesus says.
Jesus lives his life in the present. Jesus does not use the present moment as a steppingstone for achieving greater things in the future like we tend to do, but rather Jesus gives his total attention to the present; to celebrate God’s abundance which is already in the here and in the now.
Jesus knows that asking us not to worry is a very tall order- nearly impossible. Yet Jesus also recognizes that the only way for us to restore a healthy relationship with the present moment is to trust. To trust in Him. To trust that He will take care of us.
“Look at the birds of the air, they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them.” God takes care of the birds; the birds are nourished not because they are preparing their own meals, but rather because the Creator himself is providing them.
“Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow, they neither toil nor spin, yet their clothing is even more beautiful than the robes of King Soloman.” God takes care of the lilies; the lilies are beautiful not through their own doing, but through our Creator, God himself.
If God is therefore feeding the birds and clothing the lilies, Jesus says that most certainly God will provide for us! Do not worry. Look to me. Trust in me. As Julian of Norwich so famously said "All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of things shall be well."
To be present and to fully cast our trust on Jesus is hard, and also nearly impossible. God knew this so He sent his only son to live and die for us. Jesus stretched out his arms on the cross, carrying every worry and anxiety on his shoulders so that we might be set free. Free to be present to the miracle of this life and free to be present to all the enormous gifts and abundance that we have all been given.
“Cast all your cares on Him, because He cares for you.” We can give all our worries, anxieties, and stresses to Jesus, and trust that He will care for us. Why? Because he has already taken on those burdens and He has always, and He will always, look after us. This is His promise.
And I never did finish the Eskimo Song….as there was one more verse:
Life was wonderful
And I still feel joy
Each time the day-break
Whitens the dark sky
Each time the sun
Climbs over the roof of the sky.
The dawn of a new day is unfolding on this Thanksgiving morning. And as the daybreak whitens the dark sky, may we be reminded that God is with us, Jesus is taking care of us. May we cast all of our burdens on Him and may we be present to the great abundance that is already all around us and for the continued abundance that is promised up ahead. As Catholic Priest and Theologian Meister Eckhart once said, if the only prayer we ever say is: Thank you, thank you, thank you, that would be enough. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Amen.
Happy Thanksgiving and Amen.