A Ferguson Family Thanksgiving

Post by Keysha Ghosten.

Thoughts on Ferguson from the Reverend Traci Blackmon

We approach the Thanksgiving holiday as our country faces yet another national tragedy involving guns, violence, and race. I'm calling this Thanksgiving A Ferguson Family Thanksgiving because I believe these events are central to what it means to be American today.

What, I ask, is more American than Thanksgiving (besides baseball and apple pie)? And what is more tragically American than shooting an unarmed black man 6 times and letting him lie in a pool of his own blood for 4 1/2 hours?

Although Thanksgiving is the gratitude holiday (my favorite one!), not everyone feels grateful -- obvious when you see protest footage and follow news reports, commentary, and social media reactions.

I wish it were equally obvious, as "one nation under God," that trouble for one is trouble for all, but I have evidence that Ferguson is viewed with marked differences across race lines.

A Ferguson Refresher

In case you need a refresher about what happened, here is a Ferguson timeline.

Here is a link to an article by @JoshuaHol, sourced by Laura, that explains a bit about what makes events like Ferguson likely.

The above links will take you to information that sums up what happened and why.

Why I'm Choosing Gratitude

Despite the Grand Jury decision, an outgrowth of slavery and ongoing institutionalized racism, I will find joy during this, the Ferguson Family Thanksgiving.

What holiday is better than Thanksgiving to dig deep and consider what matters to us, why, and what we will do about it?

Tragedy strikes constantly, yes, but so does joy. It's unfolding. Jobs are lost, marriages end, terminal illnesses are discovered, discrimination endures, babies are born, skies are a wide open blue, and voices rise in song. It's all happening, in one crazybeautiful jumble. Life is a mystery.

I've said this before, but the reason I put up with all of the junky stuff is because there is no choice. It's part of being human. The work is to take action and make a difference without losing your mind, heart, and/or soul.

Gratitude, and seeing life's beauty despite everything and anything, makes us strong and able to take the actions that matter and gives us the open hearts that take us outside of ourselves and into other people's worlds while allowing them to enter ours.

This therefore is my Thanksgiving wish: That we may all feel gratitude for the beautiful things in our lives while finding strength to honestly and courageously confront all that is ugly and difficult with a sense of calm, purpose, and dignity. This includes the Ferguson decision.

I furthermore encourage each and every one of us, this Thanksgiving, the Ferguson Family Thanksgiving, to listen more than we talk, learn more than we teach, and give more than we get.

Your Turn

How do you maintain gratitude, or the spirit of Thanksgiving, when times are tough? {Photo credit: Wikimedia}