"God would like us to be joyful even when our hearts lie panting on the floor! How much more should we be joyful when we really have something to be joyful for?"
That's a favorite line from a favorite song from a favorite Broadway show. The song, 'L'Chaim,' the musical, Fiddler on the Roof. And in my more evolved moments, it's more than a line from a song. It's a mantra for my life - to help remind me to keep joy and thanksgiving in my being.
I'm a person who seems to need a lot of such mantras. Another is "In all things, give thanks." Had I been paying attention in Sunday School or more rigorously practiced my religious upbringing, I'd be able to quote chapter and verse where this particular mantra shows up in the Bible. My adult awareness of this mantra came, however, from reading one of Jan Karon's wonderful novels in the Mitford Series. Father Tim, an Episcopal priest, knows he has much to be thankful for, but still feels mired in depression - until he remembers that the verse is not 'In some things give thanks.' When he comes to the realization that he must also find a way to be thankful for the depression itself, the weight lifts.
Which reminds me of yet another model for living - Pollyanna herself. Now I'm of the opinion that Pollyanna has been given a bad rap in our cynical popular culture. Have you read this wonderful book by Eleanor H. Porter? Or do you, like others I know, simply disparage those who persistently work to find something positive in every situation? If you've read the book, you'll know that Pollyanna doesn't have an easy life. She's orphaned and left in the care of a stiff-necked maiden aunt who doesn't want her and tries to prevent her from leading a normal childhood. She takes a terrible fall that might paralyze or kill her - and through it all, she's able to find something, some tiny kernel about which to feel glad. You might call that sappy, but I call it inspired!
Today I'm joyful, glad, and thankful about dozens upon dozens of things - including these literary mantras that remind me to make Thanksgiving as a life-long pursuit. I'm thankful for turkey and cranberries and all the trimmings as well! I often think that the traditional Thanksgiving meal is far too tasty to eat just once a year - and with Tevye, Father Tim, and Pollyanna as my mantra mentors, I hope I'll eat life with as much joyful, thankful, gladness as I'll dig into that turkey on Thursday!
I hope you do too!
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