A Thanksgiving Blog

Today is Thanksgiving, a holiday I love. Oh, not because turkey is my favorite meal in the world, or because there's lots and lots of football on TV, especially not because there's lots of football on TV. Not because I can't wait to go shopping on black Friday (although I did do that last year just so I could say I've done it once), and not because this is the holiday that officially ushers in the Christmas season with its lights and carols and sickeningly cheerful people filled with good cheer (of which I must admit I'm one), but because it is a moment to reflect with gratitude on all the gifts I've been given, both big and small. It is a chance not to take anything for granted. And so on this day of gratitude, with the greatest prayer of all being "thank you," I give thanks.

With every inhale and exhale I am aware that life is nothing short of miraculous. That I can think these thoughts and type these words, that I can see and hear and walk and do the daily chores that make up a life is something extraordinary, for so many people cannot do these basic things.

I am grateful for each and every person whose path has crossed mine, be they family, friends, perceived foes, colleagues, or complete strangers, because each one of them has contributed a color to the canvas that comprises my life's portrait.

I am aware and give thanks for shelter and sustenance, for safe drinking water and indoor plumbing, for heat in the winter and air conditioning in the summer. A great deal of the world is not affluent enough to have these things.

I give thanks for the challenges I face, because without them transformation and growth is not possible. And I give thanks, too, for the things that come easily for me that I have the good sense to appreciate.

I give thanks for all those in my life who have passed on to other dimensions of being, leaving me a little more lonely but a lot more grateful for the time I got to share with them. And for those still in this earthly realm, I take this moment to send you love and appreciation. I say to all of you who know me, "I value you. My life is richer because of you."

I'm thankful for the bounty of mother earth and the beauty of the mountains, the desert and the oceans, which represent the course of our lives - the heights we climb and the magnificence of the view we see when we accomplished what we did not think was possible, the deserts we cross, parched and thirsting for relief, and the oceans of abundance that sweep us to places we never dreamed existed. Yes, I am thankful for all these things.

Lastly on this Thanksgiving blog, I am monumentally grateful for you, my readers. Whether you've been with me for a while, or are just joining the party that fluctuates from tear jerking to, well, just plain fluff, I am thankful that you've chosen to stop by for any length of time and let me share part of who I am with you. I hope you have found something to be of value, even if that is merely entertainment.

I wish you and your loved ones peace and abundant blessings this Thanksgiving. Thanks for stopping by. Please tell your friends.