To celebrate the holy month of Ramadan, Family Ministries has been discussing the idea of Appreciation in all its many forms. What does it really mean to appreciate something or someone? Is it enough to say thank you, as an acknowledgement of their effort? Or is it more than that…?

Every Christmas Eve that I can remember was spent at my grandparents’ Presbyterian church, listening to the preacher expound upon the ever-expanding glories of God. They all sort of meld together in my memory – the same songs, candles, communion, and liturgy we’d all memorized long ago. But there is one Christmas I remember apart from all the rest for the sermon the preacher gave that day – The Trouble with Tribbles (and God).

For all you non-nerds out there, the Trouble with Tribbles is an episode from the original Star Trek show with Captain Kirk, played by William Shatner, and Leonard Nimoy as Spock. Uhura, the ship’s communications officer, played by Nichelle Nichols, buys a small furry animal that they call a Tribble (similar to a hamster if you caught it on a humid day). She brings it aboard the ship and, before you know it, the ship is overrun, dead in space, and Captain Kirk sits shoulder deep in a pile of Tribbles.

Appreciation is like the first Tribble. It seems small and harmless, easily forgettable and not all that important in the grand scheme of things aboard a highly advanced star ship. Appreciation is often forgotten, and overlooked. My mom knows I appreciate her cooking dinner for me; do I have to say thank you every day?

Appreciation once lost is hard to reclaim. But like the Tribbles, all it takes is one. The more you appreciate, the more ‘things’ you’ll find to appreciate. I appreciate that my mom cooked dinner for me, I also appreciate the farmer who grew my food, the truck driver who brought it to the store, the sales clerk who sold it to us. I appreciate the bees and worms, the sun, and the rain… the list goes on forever because we are all interconnected in the web of life.

Ramadan is about divine appreciation – giving thanks and giving back: to the world, to God, and to our communities. Appreciation is about more than saying thank you. If you appreciate something/someone, that also means to not take it/them for granted. To appreciate is to protect, and preserve, our planet, our resources, and our interconnected relationships. Say thank you to the mail carrier, plant wildflowers to help the bees, support organic and local farms, eat less meat and reduce your food waste, donate to your local non-profits. shop at local businesses and, every once in a while, just stand outside, face the sun, and breathe.

For all I remember and all I forget, I am grateful.

Nora Smith, Family Ministries Coordinator