Ling Chi demonstrates Calligraphy for the Word "Thanksgiving" in 2 Different Styles
Seeing a Common Word Through the Different Lens of Another Culture
Sometimes words get used so much that we forget their meaning. This can especially be true of words associated with Holidays. When we hear Thanksgiving, we have so many images go through our heads that the original meaning of the word can get lost.
What I like about studying Chinese Calligraphy is that the roots of the words are much more evident than in the English. English has so many different influences that the root of the words are tricky to find and it is rare that people break down English words to their roots.
What we see in the Chinese word for Thanksgiving is two words. The first is 感 (pronounced "gan") which can be literally translated as "to feel". The second word is 恩 (pronounced "en") which can be literally translated as "grace or favor."
So we see the Chinese word for Thanksgiving as meaning to feel grace or favor. This is a powerful idea as experiencing this feeling of grace or favor can have a huge impact on one's feeling of well being. When you focus on the blessings of your life, you begin to feel blessed. The more you feel blessed the more you are blessed. Imagine how your life could be if you carried this feeling with you wherever you went. Eventually evidence of this favor would begin to increase and life could be an effortless experience of receiving blessing and favor wherever you go!
We wish that you would spend some time with these ideas over this holiday and feel this feeling of grace, favor and blessing.