As I sit here looking out to the snow covered trees and ground, I reflect upon a tradition that I have adopted since moving here almost 15 years ago.
When I think about the day of Thanksgiving, my first thought is that to give thanks is an act of gratitude and an opportunity to share with others. From my perspective, sharing implies a dropping of the veil of boundaries of separation in order to open the heart and extend a hand in offering to another. When we give, not only does this nourish the receiver it simultaneously nourishes the giver.
As I watch snow falling now, I am grateful to Mother Nature. We are in relationship to and with Earth, nature, her creatures and beyond the perception of the human eye. As Mother Nature journeys inward, slowing down in order to be renewed once again in the springtime, I feel a corresponding invitation within myself to do the same. So I’m grateful for the reflection of the outer quiet and the beauty of which I am in awe that she shares so freely. What I have to give back to her is my attention, my appreciation, and my commitment to walk lightly upon her sacred ground.
This gift and opportunity to be sitting here in quiet reflection draws my mind to how I got to be here. This space in which I now find myself was co-created with my life partner, and it his gift of presence and love in my life for which I am continually grateful.
I wonder how other people relate to this day, the tradition more specifically and its origin?
For me, I’ve always felt the day itself to be quite solemn. In wondering why, I stopped writing for a moment to sit in contemplation and go inward. And when I expand my consciousness and reach into this feeling of solemnity, I feel its origins reach far back in time. Ancestral voices reach to me across the veil from the dead to the living. For me, there is a sense of sadness for what has been lost, and an undercurrent of grief.
But there is also a sense of importance of the opportunity for togetherness, to let go of the ego and come together in unity for history reminds us of what it means to live or not live from a place of love. I am reminded to hold a space of optimism within myself and look to the dawning horizon that sees all turning to the light of love.
Wherever this reflection finds you to today, may you and your loved ones enjoy a day of peace and unity, joy and love.
May all beings be uplifted into the hand of love, that they too may have the opportunity to live from a place of peace and joy. May kindness flourish across all the Earth and embrace all beings in oneness.