Thanksgiving for every wrong move
In guitar lessons this year, I learned a song called “Thanksgiving” by the Chicago band Poi Dog Pondering. It’s got a great melody and it’s fun to play, but its words are what made me fall in love with the song. Reflecting on a life that has twisted and turned from the planned path, the writer gives thanks for the experiences of pain and trouble that have brought him to where he is today. “Thanksgiving for every wrong move: that made it right,” he sings. (You can listen to the song here).
Everybody’s different, but sometimes I can get fixated on and overwhelmed by the various and plentiful missteps I’ve taken in the past (and the present). Or—the other end of the emotional spectrum—I can self-deceive and cover them over, thinking, “actually, I’m not to blame at all.” This song refuses to inhabit either extreme; instead, it stays attentive to the truth that our humanity is a mysterious thing: full of both beauty and shadow. And the way to more authentic life is neither by dramatically or fearfully wallowing in our imperfections nor by tricking ourselves into believing that we are always right, but by coming to believe that God is moving in the midst of wherever we are. Right moves, wrong moves, God takes them all and is working to bring good out of them. To that God, and for this opportunity to live life with joy and freedom, I say: thank you.
Happy Thanksgiving to you all. I hope that whether you’re eating dinner with family and friends, at the Subway or KFC, or alone in front of your television, you’ll be able to give thanks with a truly grateful heart for the life that is yours.
Trey Hall