Have you ever heard of a “Thanksgiving for animals”?
Not the turkey-centered Thanksgiving many of us know, but a day that turns our gratitude outward, toward the animals who quietly make life and livelihood possible.
Today, in parts of South India, families celebrate "Kanuma" a harvest-season festival dedicated to cattle and the essential role they play alongside farms and families. It’s a day of extra care: special feed, gentle grooming, and a very visible kind of respect.
Over the next few weeks, I’ll be sharing thoughts and reflections on human–animal partnerships from traditions around the world. I come from a family with deep farming roots, and some of my favorite memories are of my dad—who was a veterinarian. He taught me (through his words, his actions, and that infectious laugh) that happiness comes from inside, no matter what you’re facing.
He also had that rare gift of noticing what most people miss: the animal that was overworked, slightly off-feed, standing a little strangely—the subtle signs that mattered. He didn’t treat animals as background characters. He treated them as partners in a system that sustains families.
I miss him on this day.
And today, I’m also thinking of Honey and her son Benjamin (pictured here) from Charlie's Acres Sanctuary—two of the rescued animals we visit and feel deeply thankful for. They are a soft, steady reminder that gratitude is a practice… and it’s meant to be shared.
Zooming out, these partnerships are vast:
- The FAO estimates roughly 250 million working animals provide draft power that helps cultivate about half the cropland in developing countries.
-The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) notes there are around 500 million smallholder farms worldwide, supporting over 2 billion people.
If you’ve read this far: think of an animal (or a person) you’re grateful for today and why.
I’ll go first: my dad, for teaching me that “happiness comes from inside.”
