President Thornburg's Reflection

A few years ago, a friend and I decided to eat at a new restaurant in town. This restaurant boasted the best burgers and fries, which appealed to our culinary tastes.

 

We entered the restaurant, and my friend, Paul, immediately stated, “This place doesn’t look that great.” I brushed his comment aside in anticipation of a good cheeseburger and fries.

 

We ordered our food and sat down. Paul said, “This restaurant doesn’t look that clean.” Again, I ignored his commentary and lined up the ketchup bottle close to me, ready to eat.

 

The food arrived, and we began to eat. “There is nothing special about this burger, and the fries are average,” Paul said. I thought mine were pretty good. I wasn’t going to let Paul’s negative attitude ruin my meal, so I kept eating.

 

I offered, “Maybe you should try some ketchup or mustard.”

 

Paul looked despondently at the condiments. Suddenly, his eyes brightened, and he quickly reached for a bottle of dark brown liquid—malt vinegar.

 

Paul grew up in England.  Malt vinegar is traditionally sprinkled over fish and chips. It happened to be Paul’s favorite. “Malt vinegar! This is great!” he said.

 

He dashed a liberal amount on his French fries and began to eat them.

 

“This place is not bad. I really like the fries,” he commented.

 

Malt vinegar was added to the burger, which became one of Paul’s favorite burgers in recent memory. As the meal continued, Paul kept commenting on how nice the restaurant was and how much he liked the food. Paul had become thankful.

 

Thankfulness is an attitude we know about, but sometimes, it is hard to find. Psychologists have defined it as a cultivated positive attitude or perspective. It is a choice to focus on the positive and allow it to shift our perspective. For Paul, malt vinegar became his positive focal point, allowing him to shift his perspective. As we prepare to celebrate the season of Thanksgiving with family and friends, we may not see the “malt vinegar” right away. There are more than enough negative distractions to prevent us from cultivating and fostering thankfulness.

 

Saint Julie Billiart, the “smiling saint,” suffered ailments and setbacks most of her life. She often proclaimed, “How good is the good God!” to help bring her focus back to her faith. Our faith provides us the resource in our Lord Jesus Christ to cultivate thankfulness.

 

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:4-7).