Thanksgiving is upon us — a time of reflection for our many blessings. Can you pause to reflect on the gifts that abound in your life? . . .
My list of things to be grateful for remains virtually unchanged from year to year. To the SOURCE of all that is, I offer thanks for the breadth of life, my senses and faculties, mobility, health and the well-being that I enjoy living in this incredible universe. And, not to be forgotten, I am grateful for my mind which is free to express its creativity while contemplating my purpose in life and my relationship to the creative force from which it came and to which it will return.
Also on my list are Mother Gaia’s gifts of beauty, habitability and sustenance including food and water the value of which cannot be overstated. My list includes the circumstances within which we live: freedom, peace, security, democracy, societal order and ensuing benefits created for opportunity, prosperity, comfort, abundance.
Closer to home, I am grateful for the love that abounds in my life — family, friends, associates, and pets. Each day is enriched with the experiences that I share with them. I know that without them my life would be absent sooooo much joy.
I am mindful that my long list of blessings is not enjoyed universally. Natural disasters, disease and famine rob millions of basic life. War, political and civil unrest pre-empt peaceful co-existence. Tyrannical governments and repressive regimes cultivate oppression and produce conditions that result in victimization and exploitation. Many do not share in the circumstances that we often take for granted. As I reflect on all of this, my gratitude deepens!
Lastly, I am grateful for the realization that serenity and joy don’t depend on any external circumstances, including the myriad gifts that fill my life. Inner peace, happiness and bliss are products of the inner world. They are available to those who go inward, who find stillness and silence amidst busy and hectic lives; to those who are in touch with their inner self; and to those who know that SOURCE is the ultimate nourishment and bounty.
As you enter into the season of celebration and sharing, I hope that you will find time to rest in the stillness, to dive into the peace, to discover the serenity of your soul. Take time to meander thru the inner world knowing that it is the place of eternal peace. Truly, it is one of our greatest blessings!
Happy Thanksgiving
Joanne
