“Thanksgiving links the two as we better understand God through his gifts.”

I’m inclined to think it works the other way: we can’t really feel thankful unless we’re humble first. I read somewhere recently something like ‘you can’t feel thankful for what you see yourself as entitled to.’ Well, there’s a kind of thankful you can be for what you see as your right, but full and deep gratitude comes from humility. And then, yes, as the article above points out, the expression of thanks then feeds the humility and the joy. They reinforce each other… because giving thanks is a kind of confession.