I will praise the name of God with a song, And will magnify Him with thanksgiving.
Psalm 69:30, NKJV
This year, government officials in California have issued guidelines for Thanksgiving. Three households only. Two hours long. Eat outside but go inside to use the restroom. Leave it to 2020 to turn the outhouse into the inhouse! Singing, chanting, and shouting are strongly discouraged. In my family of origin, we might forego the singing and chanting, but shouting was a venerated tradition, though usually directed at athletes on television. Everyone can affirm the need for public safety, but these are maddeningly Pharisaical and legalistic stipulations. After the year we have just endured, we need family, we need faith, and we need the freedom to follow the guidelines of a Higher Authority as we celebrate all our blessings and the Source from Whom they flow. We need to eat, pray, laugh, and sing with the people who make our lives worth living.