“Tis a Gift to be Simple…”
The following is from an article I wrote for Laurel Magazine in November 2022. I hope you enjoy…
“Tis a gift to be simple, Tis a gift to be free…” goes the 19th century Shaker jig. The words of this lilting tune have stuck with me for over 30 years. A popular tune and one that has played in my own home for as long as I can remember. Paired with Aaron Copeland’s Appalachian Spring and you have set the mood for my childhood Thanksgiving memories. On the family turntable, my Papa would gently set the needle down, the violin played, and lyrics echoed throughout our home:
“Tis a gift to be simple, Tis a gift to be free,
Tis the gift to come down where we ought to be,
And when we find ourselves in the place just right,
'Twill be in the valley of love and delight.
When true simplicity is gained,
To bow and to bend we shan’t be ashamed,
To turn, turn will be our delight,
Till by turning, turning we come ’round right.”
I am often struck by how it is the simple things in life for which we are most thankful. For me it is a hundred little things that add up to one deep breath of overwhelming gratitude. The gentle wind on a crisp fall day during a long walk; the smell of a campfire, of musk and earth and raw life swirling in the flames; my daughter’s laughter when she is overcome with joy and delights in herself; the pride in my husband’s smile after working the soil around our cabin. I find a heart full of thankfulness when crossing Lake Hartwell to find the glistening water and blue mountains spread out in glorious array.
So many little things to be thankful for, and yet the sum of them produce a larger equation for which we find our appreciation. Look to the lyrics of the song and you’ll see the themes. Sacrifice. Giving. Surrender. “To bow and to bend, we shan’t be ashamed.” It is in these themes that we find the deepest and most rewarding sense of gratitude. Our Veterans who have sacrificed all on the battlefield; first responders giving their own lives to save those in danger; “traitors to the crown” who drafted up the right to a free and Godly nation “of the people, by the people, for the people.” And most importantly, our Savior Jesus who surrendered Heaven for death on a cross that we might partake in His glories which await us after death. These are the high stakes and hard-won freedoms that fill our lungs with air and inspire us to “press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me (us) heavenward in Christ Jesus.”
After the votes are counted and results are in; after the highways and byways are cleared of Ian’s wrath; after the chaos dies down and the world quiets for just a moment, I will rise with the moon and prepare the turkey. The casseroles, dressings, gravies, and pies will all have been made, and I will gather with my family this November and give thanks. For all that has been given, for all that has been taken away, and for all that has yet to be received…we will lift a cry of joy and celebrate this gift to be simple.
In later years this simple tune would receive a few more verses and I am particularly drawn to one:
“Tis the gift to be loving, tis the best gift of all
Like a quiet rain it blesses where it falls
And with it we will truly believe
Tis better to give than it is to receive.”
My challenge to you is a challenge to myself, dear reader, let us remember these mighty gifts of love and sacrifice that have afforded us the simple pleasures of our lives as we gather around our Thanksgiving Day tables and traditions. Afterall, “tis a gift to be simple, tis a gift to be free.”
