Happy Thanksaction!

Some of you may remember the phrase ¡Feliz Día de Acción de Gracias! from high school Spanish. It does indeed mean Happy Thanksgiving. Being the nerd that I am, though, I like to think about the translations and how the words that are used in different languages imply different practices. Well, in all honesty, Thanksgiving isn't really celebrated here in the Nica. There are actually a lot of preparations taking place for the Feast of the Virgin Mary, or Purísima, which starts this weekend and runs through December 8th. It's a pretty big deal. And our choir practice schedule shows it.

But...I'm writing about Thanksgiving, because I'm still gringo and hold close to my heart my Northamerican holidays. So if you want to translate Día de Acción de Gracias, it would come out roughly to "Day of Action/Act of Thanks." That really doesn't mean a whole lot in English, but I like the use of the word Acción, because I feel like "giving thanks" is often turned into simply saying what we're thankful for. But Thanksgiving is more than just saying. It's doing. It's an acción. So here are my thoughts on Thanksaction:

Praise God for all of the wonderful blessings you have in your life. Recognize the unique gifts that each one of us presents to one another. Appreciate the simple things that we often take for granted, such as security within our homes, support from friends and family members, and clean clothes. Hug someone who you haven't seen in a while. Human touch is powerful. Share your talents and skills with someone who can benefit from them, and ask for nothing in return. Listen fully to the words of someone your elder, and learn from what they say. Reflect in silence and allow God to speak to your heart. Spend time away from cars and concrete and notice the beautiful things nature has to offer. Look inside yourself and focus on all the good things you can offer the world. Contemplate how you might become a more complete person. Give your time to someone so their labor might be less. Open your heart to change that makes the world a better place. Be willing to change yourself if necessary. Ponder what it means to Give Thanks, and know that it is all of these things. ¡Feliz Día de Acción de Gracias!