It's that holiday season again. Friends and loved ones are making plans for a visit. Christmas decorations are out in the store windows. Once again people's hearts are swelling with optimism. Jack Frost has left his calling card. The smell of wood fires curls from the chimneys, and inside, mothers work their magic as fathers are heard to say, "Make some of those sugar cookies that you made last year, the ones with the sprinkles."

Yes, it's Thanksgiving week, and I'm supposed to preach on gratitude. And you're supposed to be thankful. Ah, but the civil courtesy of gratefulness does not come with the picture-perfection of a Currier and Ives print. The years can be hard. Disappointments crowd in. Thankfulness can be hard to muster.

The text tells us it happened to nine out of ten people in …