Giving Thanks Every Day

Those pilgrims were a little late to the party, says Chattanooga minister Herbert Hewliss Brown.

George Washington, Franklin D. Roosevelt and all those other presidents who made specific Thanksgiving proclamations, too.

The first real Thanksgiving, he says, came on the seventh day of Creation, Brown says, when "God rested, gave thanks and saw that it was good."

Now, we, in turn, are to do that every day and every way, he says.

"Thanksgiving occurs each time we breathe, each time we utter kind words of encouragement," says the East Brainerd resident, who has been an over-the-road truck driver, ordained minister, mentor and musician, and once was homeless for six months. "Thanksgiving is not just reserved for one day out of the year but each day -- every hour, every minute and every second. The smallest of blessings or even big, marvelous miracles of wonder that are sent down from God above -- these events let us know clearly and exactly how much we have to be thankful for."

What are you thankful for today? Turkey and dressing? A job? Good health? A spouse? More stuff than you can say grace over?

"Thanksgiving should teach us to never take little things for granted," Brown, 59, says, "like kindness instead of madness, joy in times of sorrow, hope when there is despair, respect when there is disrespect and love where there is hate! All these positive, thankful attributes have the power to change our lives as individuals and [the] power to change the world around us!"

The Higher Level 1000 Ministries founder sent some of his thoughts less than 36 hours after the exoneration of a police officer in Ferguson, Mo., triggered looting, burning and random gunshots by those in that town who wanted a different outcome.

"They wanted it to be their problem," Brown said of those who chose violence over peace. "There are too many other things we need to focus on and be thankful for. They left God out of all of it."

What if, in fact, the kindness, joy, hope, respect and love he mentioned had replaced the madness, sorrow, despair, disrespect and hate in Ferguson -- or anywhere? They won't bring back the teenager shot to death in the town, they won't bring someone a high-wage job and they won't make everything "fair." But as he correctly stated, such feelings have the power to change lives and the world.

Initially, they can change you physically.

Researchers believe, according to an article on the Mayo Clinic website, that positive thinking may provide an increased life span, lower rates of depression, lower levels of distress, greater resistance to the common cold, better psychological and physical well-being, reduced risk of death from cardiovascular disease and better coping skills during hardships and times of stress.

Ultimately, they can change you psychically.

Imagine waking up in the morning and not believing the world is against you, not believing it owes you a living, believing you have the power to change your life, believing that if you treat the world like you want to be treated it will treat you similarly.

It's powerful stuff.

Brown, a father of four and a grandfather, bases his words on words from the Bible -- Psalm 100:1-5, Colossians 1:11-17 and 1 Thessalonians 5:15-28. They all talk about giving thanks.

"Thanksgiving is for the young and the old, the poor, the rich and the wealthy," he says, "and is no respecter of persons -- race, creed, color, political affiliation or status. Thanksgiving should always be a time of caring, giving, sharing and doing for others who cannot do for themselves. We all need to do a personal inventory and make certain that we focus on the real true meaning of what Thanksgiving Day is really about. We must start by going out of our way and coming out of our comfort zone to share with those who are hurting and have so little."

Brown says one of his daughters, now 33, gave him a lesson of a lifetime when she was 8. Just home from school, she asked him to look into her eyes and tell her what he saw. His first answer, he said, was "your eyeballs," but she asked him to look deeper. Then he told her that he saw himself.

"We are seeing ourselves in their eyes," he says. "We are a sum of everybody who's touched our lives. But we are too fixed in our ways and customs. Until we start to understand the differences [in each person] and accept those differences" [can we] move forward.

Indeed, give thanks for the differences. Give thanks for the little things. Give thanks for the big things. Give thanks today -- and every day.

Upcoming Events