Thinking and Thanking
I think and I thank. Thinking, I thank. I think, therefore I thank. Cogito ergo gratias ago? (Apologies to Descartes!) Because I think, I thank. When I think on all the lovely things on which I think, it makes me want to thank someone. I look outside myself for someone to thank. Who to thank? It is not of my doing. There must be another, maker or made, who did something for me, so that thinking, I must thank another. When I meditate on the marvels of existence, when I remember the riotous colors of creation, the exquisite harmonies of the universe, when I catch a glimpse of the sparks of the transcendent, when I feel the warmth and appreciation of another, I thank. Thoughtfulness leads to thankfulness.
Thinking of the things for which I thank, I am filled with grace. The grace that is given causes grace in the one to whom given. Thus, in Urbs Aeterna, Italia, and Sefarad, gratia, gratias, grazia, grazie, gracia, gracias reflect the full of graceness, gracefulness, gratefulness of those granted grace. And who the grantor? Where the giver of grace? Another. A thou. A you. Always one to whom we, thinking, are gracefully thankful. Grace is gratis, freely given, never coerced. Freely gotten, not grabbed. Grazia. Gratis. Grazie!
Gallic grace grows from mercy given. Kindness, pardon, forgiveness received. Mercy. Merci! Beaucoup. A lot. All this mercy. Whence? From whom? Someone to whom to say “Merci beaucoup.” One like me and more, different from, and yet? Shadow. Image. Umbra. Fellow. Friend. Always another. So close at hand. To thank.
Western Iberians, those of the warm, beautiful port, owned an obligation incurred from the merciful grace given. Obrigado! The merciful grace, freely given and gotten, obligates its owners to reach out, speak out, be out in thinkful, thoughtful, thankful, thankfulness. Obrigado opens to the other, another, the you that does for us the thoughtful thing that obligates us (freely) to thank.
Hellenists eucharistically honored and honor the gift of gracefully given mercy-kindness-favor. Charis. The good gifts. Eucharisto. Good thoughts of these gifts. Eugnomon. Full of good thinking, full of thanking.
The bearish denizens of the frozen north, followers in writing of Cyril, shout the salvific kindness-goodness, given mercifully and gracefully to save, preserve, support, and succor. Spasebo! To you and you and other you. Slava Bogu! To the one You. Glory!
At the crossroads of the world, in The Place, the least yet the greatest of the world’s peoples must do more than remember, mouth, think, savor, believe, honor, shout the mercy-kindness-goodness-love-warmth, gracefully and mercifully showered upon them. They must do. Todah! Use the hands to give, to do, to repair, to mercy, to grace, to reach out, to undertake, to build, to teach, to inspire, to bless, to help, to praise, to raise up, to heal, to transform, to uplift, to magnify, to bring forth, to create, to lift up the hands and one another, to elevate every adamish act to a qaddish one infused with the likeness of the One to whom thanks are due now and to evermore, l’olam va’ed.
And so on this Thanksgiving Day in the United States of America in 2009, a day set apart by our elders, our forebears, our go-beforers, the patriarchs and matriarchs, who in their wisdom, set apart this one day especially (as a shining example of what every day should be) to give thanks especially to the One from whom we have received bounty inestimable and also to one another for the kindness, goodness, favors, honor, and love without which life would not be worth living, and without which we might question why we are here, but in the presence of which we understand, we are simply thoughtful, thinkful, thankful.
O You, knelt-kneeling fountain of all goodness, our self-existent powerful One, guide-sustainer-provider of all space and all time, who brings into being all things by the breath of life, we call you Blessed, and give you thinking, thoughtful, grateful, graceful, obligated-yet-gratis merci beaucoup, eucharisto, todah rabah, grazie mille, thanks a thousand, million, lots and lots, a whole bunch, spasebo, thanks forever and ever, v’imru…
Thinking of the things for which I thank, I am filled with grace. The grace that is given causes grace in the one to whom given. Thus, in Urbs Aeterna, Italia, and Sefarad, gratia, gratias, grazia, grazie, gracia, gracias reflect the full of graceness, gracefulness, gratefulness of those granted grace. And who the grantor? Where the giver of grace? Another. A thou. A you. Always one to whom we, thinking, are gracefully thankful. Grace is gratis, freely given, never coerced. Freely gotten, not grabbed. Grazia. Gratis. Grazie!
Gallic grace grows from mercy given. Kindness, pardon, forgiveness received. Mercy. Merci! Beaucoup. A lot. All this mercy. Whence? From whom? Someone to whom to say “Merci beaucoup.” One like me and more, different from, and yet? Shadow. Image. Umbra. Fellow. Friend. Always another. So close at hand. To thank.
Western Iberians, those of the warm, beautiful port, owned an obligation incurred from the merciful grace given. Obrigado! The merciful grace, freely given and gotten, obligates its owners to reach out, speak out, be out in thinkful, thoughtful, thankful, thankfulness. Obrigado opens to the other, another, the you that does for us the thoughtful thing that obligates us (freely) to thank.
Hellenists eucharistically honored and honor the gift of gracefully given mercy-kindness-favor. Charis. The good gifts. Eucharisto. Good thoughts of these gifts. Eugnomon. Full of good thinking, full of thanking.
The bearish denizens of the frozen north, followers in writing of Cyril, shout the salvific kindness-goodness, given mercifully and gracefully to save, preserve, support, and succor. Spasebo! To you and you and other you. Slava Bogu! To the one You. Glory!
At the crossroads of the world, in The Place, the least yet the greatest of the world’s peoples must do more than remember, mouth, think, savor, believe, honor, shout the mercy-kindness-goodness-love-warmth, gracefully and mercifully showered upon them. They must do. Todah! Use the hands to give, to do, to repair, to mercy, to grace, to reach out, to undertake, to build, to teach, to inspire, to bless, to help, to praise, to raise up, to heal, to transform, to uplift, to magnify, to bring forth, to create, to lift up the hands and one another, to elevate every adamish act to a qaddish one infused with the likeness of the One to whom thanks are due now and to evermore, l’olam va’ed.
And so on this Thanksgiving Day in the United States of America in 2009, a day set apart by our elders, our forebears, our go-beforers, the patriarchs and matriarchs, who in their wisdom, set apart this one day especially (as a shining example of what every day should be) to give thanks especially to the One from whom we have received bounty inestimable and also to one another for the kindness, goodness, favors, honor, and love without which life would not be worth living, and without which we might question why we are here, but in the presence of which we understand, we are simply thoughtful, thinkful, thankful.
O You, knelt-kneeling fountain of all goodness, our self-existent powerful One, guide-sustainer-provider of all space and all time, who brings into being all things by the breath of life, we call you Blessed, and give you thinking, thoughtful, grateful, graceful, obligated-yet-gratis merci beaucoup, eucharisto, todah rabah, grazie mille, thanks a thousand, million, lots and lots, a whole bunch, spasebo, thanks forever and ever, v’imru…
Previous Thanksgiving Thoughts
Thanksgiving 2004
4 comments:
Wow Dad ! I just finished reading this and I love it !! I was just telling a group or people yesterday about your love of languages ... and this post is so reflective of that ! But also reflective of your thankful heart. Your thankful outlook on life. I love how thankful you are and am thankful that you have modeled that for us for our entire lives ... modeled it in such a way that we cannot help but be thankful too !! Sometimes I feel as if there is no choice ... it's just part of who we are !! And for that (and you) I am thankful ... thinking, thoughtful, grateful, graceful, obligated-yet-gratis merci beaucoup, eucharisto, todah rabah, grazie mille, thanks a thousand, million, lots and lots, a whole bunch, spasebo, thanks forever and ever, v’imru THANKFUL !!
Dad- You normally write in such beautiful prose, but this was more poetry to me.
I guess thankfulness is inspiring enough to bring forth your poet's heart. It was lovely.
Thank you.
UJ,
I read this out loud and it just had such a cool flow to it. Also, it definitely gives some insight to my thoughts about grace. Thanks a lot.
found it interesting to read
regards
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