Journey of Thanksgiving

On a brisk, winter evening, I was walking in the middle of the road to avoid the deep snow on either side of the street. The wind was howling in my ear, through the beanie on my head, and the falling snow was whipping my face and making the way ahead blurry. The distance I was traveling was no longer than one mile, but in these conditions, I felt like I was on a 100-mile trek across a frozen tundra.
The majority of this journey was a nightmare for me. I was in poor spirits and had a complaint in my heart. Everything changed, however, when I turned the corner just before my house. The wind stopped abruptly and so did I. Looking up for the first time on my walk, I breathed in the crisp air deeply. I was entranced by a peaceful silence all around. The snow was now falling gently to the ground and I felt embraced by a protective bubble of calm assurance. “This is what it must feel like to live inside a snow globe,” I thought to myself.
No longer did I feel the cold. Instead, there was this magical sense of warm adventure in the air. Here, amidst the bleak, frozen night, I experienced the true meaning of a ‘winter wonderland’. I crossed the rest of the 100 yards to my cozy home with an excitement in my step and my heart was full, having forgotten the trial moments before.
Before this experience, I often wondered what winter would be like without the holiday season. Each year, Thanksgiving seems to kick-off this wonderful time of year where the weather and minor problems people face are pushed away by the excitement of holiday breaks, spending time with family, the spirit of Christmas and the opportunity to start afresh with the upcoming year.
I used to think that these holidays were put at this time of year because otherwise there would be no joy or anything for individuals to look forward to in the depressing depth of winter. But after experiencing the magic and majesty of a peaceful, wintry scene, it occurred to me that perhaps the holidays at years end were put there because they match the hope we have in our hearts that we can find joy and beauty even in circumstances that, on the surface, seem dire and unwanted.
When I experienced the joy of a winter wonderland, my external circumstances hardly changed at all. As the wind stopped, the only reason that I hadn’t kept on griping and complaining was because I chose to look up and accept the beauty that was around me. Looking back on this occasion, I realize that all too often I fail to see the journey that I happen to be on for what it is. The metaphorical wind in my life should not make or break my happiness.  
Each year, I embark on a renewing journey of heart and soul that starts with a Thanksgiving weekend, continues on to a celebration of the birth of my Savior, Jesus Christ and finishes with me repenting and resolving to be a better individual with the prospect of a new year.
This year I want to deepen and elongate this journey of Thanksgiving. I don’t want to live my life merely looking forward to the times of celebration or when happiness comes most easily. Instead, I want to be at peace amidst both calm and storm. I have lived too much of my life simply holding on when the winds picked up. The fantasy in my head has been that once I get past the current storm I can live happily ever after because the winds won’t come back.

Yet, inevitably they do come back and I tend to be miserable until they calm down again. But what if I could enjoy the journey? What if I could appreciate dire and unwanted circumstances not because I’m glad I’m struggling but because I’m glad I’m getting closer to where I want to be. If my focus and direction is pointed towards not struggling, I would obviously not be satisfied. But, if, instead, my focus is on becoming more like the Lord – becoming spiritually stronger – the situation doesn’t seem so dire, it suddenly becomes a necessary stepping stone. 

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