A Thanksgiving Idea

A Thanksgiving Idea.

Don't be thankful. There is a danger in having a "day." My wife doesn't want flowers on Valentine's day. She would rather get them when the calendar didn't tell me to get them. She likes a spontaneous expression, not a hallmark motivated attempt at saying "I love you" (before I get any nasty notes I always do something to make valentines special for Leah). But, what if we turned the tables on this holiday?

This Thanksgiving don't think of things you are thankful for. Don't eat a lot of good food. Refuse to have fun with your family. Lock yourself in a room and be crabby all day. Eat nothing but vegetables (like dried peas), pull the shades down, and think of all that you don't have that someone else does. Watch the first half of A Christmas Carol and not the end. Don't watch or go to a parade. Honor the Pilgrims and stand outside in the cold all day. Assume every phone call is a political plea to get you to vote in 2012, or a salesman to sell you a full set of 3000 eight tracks for your listening enjoyment. One day. 24 hours.

Then spend the other 364 days being thankful. Spend the rest of the year tasting from the well of gratitude. Find things to thank God for, quit overlooking what you've taken for granted. Pray with a sense of being overwhelmed with God's grace. Hug people like it's the last time you might see them. Refuse to complain because something wasn't the way you wanted it. Taste life. Go to church excited about meeting someone new, thrilled with the opportunity to worship, hungry to hear from the Lord, and eager to have a short prayer with someone you love.

Let's start a movement – boycott Thanksgiving for one day! Instead, set aside one day for being crabby and spend the rest of the year being thankful.

Here's some rules for the Crabby Day.

1. Crabbiness is only appropriate for one 24 hour day. Any crabbiness on another day of the year is a violation.

2. The Crabby Day must be spent alone (if we're all crabby on the same day and we all avoid each other that day we should avoid any potential conflicts)

3. No driving on Crabby Day!!!

4. No working on Crabby Day – you'd get fired, both you and your boss are crabby and you're supposed to be home.

5. Crabby day only falls on Saturday (no school).

6. This day is not official until everyone in the U.S. agrees on the day.

7. Wives cannot Celebrate Crabby Day – ever… no, I mean ever. Once you become a wife you are not invited to this day again. Ever!

8. Teenagers who celebrate Crabby Day on another day another than Crabby Day will be exiled to an island off Greenland until they apologize.

9. To whatever degree you were crabby on crabby day, that same degree of Thanksgiving must be shown the rest of the year.

10. The fine for violating Crabby Day by celebrating it on the wrong day is you must purchase a blackberry pie for your pastor from Grand Traverse Pie Company.

I think that about covers it. Until this is official no one is allowed to celebrate Crabby Day.

Thankful,

Pastor Dave