In 2020, gratitude may well be the least appreciated of all virtues. This November many of us may not be exactly “feeling the love,” and when asked what we are thankful for this Thanksgiving, a gracious much may flow out of our mouths that doesn’t exactly sound like gratitude. Yes, we are all tired of COVID, the crisis, the illness, the masks, the economic and social destruction it reaps, not to mention, hurricanes, wildfires, the political and socio-economic divide, and everything else that polarizes; yet, we are still alive. We are still capable of looking at what we have and what we can do to make this world a better place, if we choose.
Yes, gratitude may, indeed, be the least appreciated of all virtues. We may bemoan the ravages of COVID, the devastating wildfires throughout California wine country and much of the American West, the absence of college football, and the list goes on, but we are still Americans. We have a day set aside to remind us of gratitude, a day on which to stop and pause, a day set aside to be anything except ordinary. Instead of being consumed by parades, football, and the specter of Black Friday, all of which have nearly obliterated the meaning of Thanksgiving, let us give thanks. What better way to give thanks than to seize the opportunity to help those less fortunate, share food and wine with family and friends, and give thanks to all who have made the food we eat and the wine we drink possible.
For me, Thanksgiving is a reminder that faith, family, friends, health, and an abundance of fine wine should never be taken for granted. It’s a day to express gratitude by bringing the finest wines from my cellar to share with everyone who partakes, a time to remind myself of all that I have and what I can still do, rather than a time to lament what I don’t have or can no longer do. Thanksgiving reacquaints me with all that is good in life, and that includes an abundance of fine wine. I am sincerely grateful that I don’t have to drink a wine I don’t like. Although, I am still asked to taste some less desirable wines from time to time, I don’t have to drink them. More importantly, Thanksgiving is a day of celebration and a time to share the finest wines with family, friends and whoever else shows up, either for dinner or simply to say hello and wish me a Happy Thanksgiving. This is why I serve wine at Thanksgiving. So this Thanksgiving, may we all express gratitude, share good wine, and all else that is good in life. Happy Thanksgiving!
