Thanksgiving

There are two days every year that I love to celebrate. First is my birthday because that’s the day my moms (both of them) always made a big deal over (bigger than Christmas). The second is Thanksgiving. 

Thanksgiving is by far (measured exponentially) my favorite national celebration and one I wish the entire world celebrated. It is not religious in its roots or its meaning. Instead, it is a day focused on all the bounty, abundance, joy, love, and happiness we have received throughout the year. It is an opportunity to reflect on our gratitude for what we have, regardless of size or magnitude. What is better than a day where everyone comes together and joins all their thoughts, energy, and action toward a common view of gratitude? 

Yesterday I took some time to sit quietly and review the things I’m thankful for (it does help that I have a gratitude journal which my husband and I fill out every single morning without fail). After saying thank you individually to each of my friends, family, and people I hold so dear in my heart, I moved on to the other things I give thanks for this year. It started with always having the basics in the hierarchy of needs, then moved to be thankful for living in a country where I enjoy so many freedoms (and for the people who work to protect those freedoms), and finished with “thankful to be alive.” Then, moving on, I gave thanks in advance for rational, thoughtful, peaceful minds and hearts coming together to build an army of compassionate and reasonable souls focused more on how we are alike and how we are all the same no matter the color of the costume we are wearing when we are born.

This year, I’ve been bombarded with the message that it’s not enough to think and that thinking must be accompanied by action. So on that note, I will leave you with the wisdom of Gandhi:

“Be the change you wish to see in the world.”

Happy Thanksgiving!