Music and communion remind us of blessings

I notice that I enter in to the season of thanksgiving in ways that are different than a lot of the people around me. Perhaps because of my childhood memories of Thanksgiving, I have an unusual sense of this season.

It’s not just the ideas I learned about the first Thanksgiving holiday growing up; there was also my experience as a child in an immigrant family. The gratitude that I grew up with was because all of us were safe, warm, well-fed and, most of all, together. It was also a time to share what we had with those who might not have as much — not with a donation to a nonprofit agency, but with an invitation to our dinner table.

As an adult with my own home, family and spiritual traditions, this time of year and the season of thanksgiving became an opportunity for introspection about all I am grateful for and the natural abundance of life.

More than counting my blessings, I have a deep sense of connection to the divine for all I enjoy, have responsibility for, and am privileged to share with others.

Dr. Ernest Holmes, the founder of the Science of Mind, writes, “Appreciation, gratitude and thanksgiving are the motive power that magnifies the true potentiality of life.”

I was recently involved in a discussion about Thanksgiving that brought some of my mixed feelings about our national holiday bubbling to the surface. There was mention of the discrepancy between the role the Native Americans played in the first Thanksgiving and their treatment in America since then, which evoked my deep sadness about a lack of acceptance and respect for our native brothers and sisters.

Others spoke about the over-consumption and commercialism surrounding the holiday, as well as “Black Friday” shopping, non-stop football and the “turkey burn” at various gyms. Suddenly I realized why my sense of this season feels out of step. These ideas and activities do not “magnify the true potentiality of life” for me!

The simplicity of autumn and the way nature changes from summer to fall seems to resonate in me in an almost cellular way that deepens my connection to all of life.

Mine is a quiet, rhythmic spiritual practice that reminds me that everyone, no matter their heritage, faith tradition, personal choices or Thanksgiving menu, is a part of the one life that I believe is God’s expression.

Lane Interfaith Alliance, the organization that coordinates and presents this column each week, was to host its 20th interfaith celebration of the Songs of Thanksgiving (see note at end of column).

Every year I am renewed by the various perspectives on gratitude that are shared in music, chant and song. It weaves a fabric of thanksgiving that resonates in me, and captures for me the sense of “magnifying the true potentiality of life.”

The open-heartedness, the powerful beauty and wisdom of the music and the visiting over pie after the service all reflects my own Thanksgiving gratitude. In this annual tradition I am reminded of how richly I am blessed!

Rev. Stäna Knez is a Science of Mind minister and a member of Lane Interfaith Alliance. This column is coordinated by LIA to offer inspiration, share personal spiritual experiences and bring a deeper understanding of individual faith perspectives with the intention of blessing our community and the world. For more information, visit www.laneinterfaithalliance.org or call 541-344-0430.

Lane Interfaith Alliance’s “Songs of Thanksgiving” interfaith service, postponed due to weather, will be held next Tuesday, Nov. 30, at First Church of Christ, Scientist on 1390 Pearl St.