Finding joy in a bleak Thanksgiving

'Will the downturn ever end?'
From Trinity Church at the end of Wall Street, it's easy for the Rev. James Cooper to see one effect of the devastating layoffs in the financial district.

"There are simply fewer people on the street," Trinity's rector says.

He knows those missing people have lost their jobs, and he knows that layoffs in New York and elsewhere — and the trillions of dollars gone from Americans' personal wealth — mean stressful Thanksgivings in millions of homes.

As the historic Episcopal church prepared for its traditional holiday services — one at lunchtime Wednesday designed for business people, and one on Thursday for parishioners — Cooper suggested there might be something positive to come out of a worrisome Thanksgiving.

"Stress can make the relationships at the table more poignant and more valued, whether we're talking about the altar or a Thanksgiving table," he says. "If you think about it, Thanksgiving is founded in difficult times. The Pilgrims had buried 46 of their company of 102. How can you be thankful in that context?"

As the economy staggered in the run-up to Thanksgiving, Cooper and his staff found themselves struggling to counsel many Wall Streeters threatened with losing their jobs.

"They ask us if the downturn will ever end, and we say, `It always has,'" Cooper says. "And they ask, `Will life be different after?' And I think of 9/11, a horrible and horrendous day, but it led to new life and vitality — volunteerism, respect for each other."

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