Pausing for Thanks

Nov 23, 2015

Positively my favorite. This is the Thanksgiving holiday week in the United States and it is the one holiday that I truly enjoy.  What makes it so special? It’s autumn. The harvest is complete. A special, simple gathering with our family makes my heart happiest. The freezer is full of veggies from our garden and wild game from successful hunts in our family. The pantry is full of canned salsas and sauces, evidence of the booming garden which blessed us from May through Oct. Each year our neighbors gift us with fresh apples from an orchard which actually began as one apple tree planted by my great, great grandparents. Later, my father planted an orchard where that one tree resided. Dad has since passed on and our neighbors have been generous each and every year since buying the farm. Pails of fresh, golden apples make for a daily delight around here.  We have every reason to be grateful.

I realize that others are going through much tougher times this week. Battling for their life and health. Heartbroken on an anniversary of an unexpected death. Gripped in the choking, constant ebb and flow of depression or mental illness. Addiction that’s splintering families and psyches alike.  Definitely not the easiest of times for some.  Yet I believe that even in the toughest times or simply in the act of everyday living, there’s grace through gratitude. Pausing for a moment of gratitude serves as a portal of hope.

Take a moment today to pause, to relax into the comforting goodness of gratitude. How does it feel to see the evidence all around you, moments enveloped in grace? Notice the present in the present.