<div style="clear: both;text-align: center"><a title="license: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ - click to view more info about 'easy-turkey-thanksgiving' or find free 'turkey meal' pictures via Wylio" href="http://www.wylio.com/credits/flickr/5176608082"><img style="float: none;margin: 10px auto" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-eFTdM9dASjc/TtBLGhccjoI/AAAAAAAAA3E/7YKGnQtXwdI/Flickr-5176608082.jpg" alt="'easy-turkey-thanksgiving' photo (c) 2010, Steve Johnson - license: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/" width="500" height="334" /></a></div>
Thanksgiving is now behind us, a day that for many is filled with one delicious food after another. Turkey. Mashed potatoes. Corn casserole. Jello molds. Pies, pies, and more pies. We fill our plates, we eat, we dive back in for more. We wear our stretchy pants and leave the belts in the closet for another day.

Eating turkey and mashed potatoes isn't something that is unique to Thanksgiving. Particularly here in America, we can have a large meal nearly any day of the year. So despite the fact that we tend to focus on the food, there must be more to this holiday than simply an opportunity to eat a large meal.

I believe what makes Thanksgiving special is the opportunity that we have not only to feed our physical appetites, but to feed our spiritual and emotional appetites as well. To feed not only our bodies, but our souls.

We fix meals that are more complicated than we might normally make. We play games that usually gather dust on the shelves. We enjoy one another's company without feeling the need to rush to the next thing. After the hustle and bustle of preparing the meal, it's a day for slowing down and for spending time together with those whom you love.

But what might happen if we took the time to seek out this soul food more often? What would that look like?

Perhaps we could take time to sit and really listen to a piece of music for a few minutes. Allow each note to penetrate the deep, hidden of our minds and hearts.

Perhaps we need to take a moment and read some poetry. Let the words