No one can deny that we are living in some turbulent times right now. Entire communities have been devastated and many people have been diagnosed with serious illnesses or have died. Still, this is the time to move back into the state of gratitude for the blessings that we do have. We have experienced the outpouring of love toward those in need. We have witnessed the sweetness in tiny kindnesses. We are filled with compassion and caring for our friends and families as we face these challenging times. Each day is a new opportunity to surrender to the Higher Power and do what we can to be of service to others. Each day is a gift that we have to begin again.
Out of this chaos will come something beautiful, and perhaps something even stronger than what was lost. I am personally experiencing the last days of my father’s life and it is excruciating. And yet, each time I see him, there is a moment when I feel such gratitude for knowing him, for being with him. I know that I will still have his spirit with me when he is gone and for this I am truly grateful.
As I look around at the challenges that everyone I know is facing, I am so grateful that we are together as we go through these times. I am pretty sure we agreed to meet up to do this together before we were born. And I cherish these friendships even more as we each face our own difficulties and still find a way to be there for one another. No one said it would be easy, but we can do it and we can do it more easily when we connect to the feeling of gratitude and love.
So I ask each of you, who I know are having a rough time, to take a moment to honestly reach for the feeling of gratitude. Perhaps you are grateful to be alive, or grateful that you are not in pain or you are able to walk. There are so many ways in which we are blessed that we take for granted until we start to lose those gifts. Take a few minutes in nature if possible to hear the birds and experience the vast sky and notice the beauty of an individual tree. Take the time to thank a friend for their support or a simple kindness. If you live in a free country count your blessings. Let the feeling of gratitude restore you and give you the energy and the hope to go another step forward. Happy Thanksgiving to you all.
