I used to read the Reader's Digest from cover to cover every single month for years and years. I loved reading the articles! If I remember correctly, the publisher's motto was "An article a day of lasting interest." That was pretty true. I read it all and learned a lot, even about stuff I hadn't really had an interest in before. I'm not sure if my family subscribed to the magazine while I was growing up, but I do recall in one of my 7th grade classes, we had assignments to read and study RD every month with the copies provided to the school for classroom use.
My files are full of little bits and pieces which I saved from those magazines that I thought were MORE worthwhile for later perusal. I even submitted anecdotes from my own experiences to "All in a Day's Work" and "Quotable Quotes". One of which was actually published!
The following article was a reprint from The Chicago Tribune, published November 19, 1979, during the time we were living in Virginia. I don't know when it was reprinted in The Reader's Digest. But I have referred to this article many times over the years, and present it here now as still viable.
Notice how unabashedly Joan Beck writes about God and His tender mercies to all. Forty-two years ago, it was perfectly normal to refer to Deity and our blessings from the Lord without repercussions and accusations of religious bias. What has happened to the values nearly everyone espoused as their own? Life is certainly different now--and not always for the better.
Still, I thought this article was worth sharing on this special occasion--Thanksgiving Day 2022. I hope it gives you pause for reflection on our injunction to live in a spirit or attitude of gratitude.
In the words of Dieter F. Uchtdorf, "...instead of being thankful FOR things, we [need to] focus on being thankful IN our circumstances--whatever they may be."
HAPPY THANKSGIVING!
