Gratitude

SATURDAY. I was informed by Maryellen that stuffing is that which is cooked inside a turkey, while dressing is prepared outside and away from the bird. It makes sense, yet the terms seem to be used interchangeably. One explanation suggests a regional preference, stuffing being the preferred word in the East and the South. Whichever word you use, it's delicious, and Maryellen's dressing (or stuffing) was particularly tasty.

There is much information on the web about Thanksgiving, typically described as an American holiday with 17th century roots. References to the "first Thanksgiving" are numerous. However, Thanksgiving--a harvest festival--is far older than American history suggests, and the U.S. is mistaken in claiming this holiday as its unique invention.

The Evidence
A three-day autumn festival, Thesmosphoria, observed by Ancient Greeks, celebrated the goddess Demeter, deity of food grains. Pigs, first fruits, and seed corn delicacies were traditionally consumed at the feast.

An Ancient Roman harvest festival with similar table offerings was celebrated in early October. Known as Cerelia, the holiday celebrated Ceres, the Goddess of Corn. Highlights included parades, feasts, music, games and sports.

Another three-day harvest festival in Ancient China, "Chung Ch'ui," was celebrated on the 8th Chinese month. Believed to be the birthday of the moon, yellow "moon cakes" with an image of a rabbit were the specialty. Again, pigs and fruits graced the table. The Festival of the Mooncakes continues to be celebrated by Asians.

The Jewish harvest festival, Sukkoth, has been celebrated for over 3,000 years.

Ancient Egyptians celebrated their harvest festival in the springtime--Egypt's harvest season--to honor Min, the God of Vegetation and Fertility.

The one common theme in all these ancient and modern harvest celebrations is gratitude. Recent research measuring the benefits of a "grateful disposition" demonstrates that grateful people report feelings of well-being, interconnectedness, positive emotions, life satisfaction, vitality, optimism, generosity, empathy, and lower levels of depression and stress. One study finds that the "disposition toward gratitude appears to enhance pleasant feeling states more than it diminishes unpleasant emotions. Grateful people do not deny or ignore the negative aspects of life."

Physician and author Christiane Northrup maintains that beneficial physical changes occur when feelings of gratitude are held for 15-20 seconds. Stress hormones decrease, coronary arteries relax, and blood supply to the heart increases. Breathing becomes deeper and oxygen levels rise. The Institute of HeartMath finds that appreciation has a particularly strong effect in enhancing the autonomic nervous system, resulting in improved brain functioning and immune system enhancement.

I'm feeling more and more inclined to keep a gratitude journal. Anything that's free and makes us feel good is worth considering. All I need to do is push past my procrastination. Maybe today will be the day. I'll keep you posted.

Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all the others. (Cicero)