A now annual SCS tradition is the English Language Center’s (ELC) hosting of a panel discussion about the meaning of the Thanksgiving holiday. For several years, ELC has put together this dynamic event, which features SCS staff and faculty offering their insights and perspectives to an audience of ELC students learning about the diverse ways that America celebrates Thanksgiving. Moderated by Stephanie Gallop, associate director of ELC’s Intensive English Program, the panelists explored different preferences and customs that families engage in throughout the country. Turkey or stuffing? Family over football? Black Friday or Cyber Monday? The interactive discussion revealed some regional differences (sweet potato pie, for example, is more popular in the South) and some heartfelt reflections about why this is such an important holiday.
The celebration of Thanksgiving is an opportunity to consider the central place of gratitude not only in this holiday but also in the Ignatian spirituality that gives life to the Spirit of Georgetown. I love Thanksgiving because of the way that it invites us to make space for naming the gratitude in our lives. Family, friends, and food come together around a table, a setting for deep pondering about the ties that connect us to each other and to the deeper purpose of our lives. This setting also becomes an opportunity to consider how we might move beyond our comfortable boundaries and invite others to the table, with particular attention to persons in our community in need of food, family, and fellowship.
Set against the consumerist tendencies of our culture, the practice of Thanksgiving can help remind us of our gifts and how our gratitude for these gifts can inspire our generous action in the world. Such gifts do not require any payback or recompense. Instead, as Johanna Williams, executive director of the Jesuit-affiliated Kino Border Initiative, a transnational organization that works for humane, just, and workable migration between the U.S. and Mexico, reminded us recently:
“Gratitude is key to Ignatian spirituality. It is not just a feeling, but a disposition. An attitude. Part of fostering gratitude is thanking God for all of the blessings and gifts He has given us. … Processing a life experience through a lens of gratitude does not mean dismissing grief and pain. Gratitude allows migrants and all of us to reframe loss and trauma into an opportunity for consciousness and power.”
Such an attitude of gratitude animated the ELC panel and the joyful celebration that followed, a sampling of traditional Thanksgiving foods on the ground floor of the SCS building. The carefully selected spread of Thanksgiving tastes, the students enjoying their plates, and the staff that served them generously all point to a gratitude about how mission and values come alive at SCS. I found myself simmering in gratitude for the opportunity to share in this learning experience with the ELC students and the staff and faculty that care for them. A student later shared her reflection about the event, offering thanks for the opportunity to learn about a new holiday and create some lasting memories of Georgetown.
As we enter into a week of Thanksgiving, I invite you to spend some time in gratitude for all of the gifts of your life, including the community at SCS. You might consider using a special Examen created for this purpose by the Jesuits: “An Ignatian Examen for Thanksgiving.”