I’ve always considered Thanksgiving the most Primal of the holidays. There’s little fanfare beyond the company and food. The act of preparing and sharing a feast is about as basic, but intimately sacred, as human ceremony gets. Add to this the focus on gratitude itself, the turning of our attention toward all that is good or has brought good to our lives. What comes to mind for me is communal offering and celebration around the table much like Grok’s kin around the fire.

Thanksgiving also, along with New Year’s, counts as one of the primary times set aside for reflection. To consider what we’re grateful for, we take stock of the year and its blessings as well as its struggles. Often, we may be most thankful for the resilience and support that got us through the challenges. We rest in the comfort of ritual and cycle, participating in the arc of the collective, ancestral human story.

Each year I say it, and each year I’m filled with the truth of it: I look to this community with heartfelt gratitude. The journey that began a decade ago with the creation of Mark’s Daily Apple has become more than I’d ever hoped. It’s grown into an expansive exchange of ideas and encouragement. It’s been a substantive part of the health conversation in our culture, and it’s developed into a personal mission far grander than anything I’d imagined.

So, thank you. Thank you for reading, for sharing, for contributing. Thank you for carrying the message of health and for supporting each other here.

I’ll have some big announcements in the New Year and even as we close out 2016. As always, stay tuned. For today, however, I hope this day finds you well and savoring the occasion in whatever way fits your pleasure.

Best to everyone here, whether you’re celebrating today or not.

To reflecting on the day and to making the most of this full holiday weekend, I offer a few of our best articles from the Thanksgiving archive. Enjoy, and Grok on!

The Benefits of Giving Thanks

5 Responses When Relatives Ask Why You’re Not Eating Stuffing This Thanksgiving

What It Means to Be Thankful for Your Health

Savoring the Holiday

The Power of Food Rituals

The Benefits of Benevolence

And for after the holiday…because how could we leave out the leftovers?

How to Make Turkey Jerky (That’s Super Easy and Tastes Like Thanksgiving)

Thanks for stopping by today. Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours!

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