Giving Thanks

There is so much to be thankful for today. In the moment that I’m writing this, I’m very thankful that all I have left to do for dinner is roast the turkey and prepare the candied sweets (candied today – not roasted with olive oil and a little herbs like we do during the rest of the year) and macaroni and cheese. All the pies, the cake, the potato salad, the greens (collard, mustard & turnip like I grew up on), and other stuff is done. The house is filled with the aromas of Thanksgiving love and my son and husband are being held at bay until is time for us to go to a friend’s house for dinner. All the cooking I’ve done is so they’ll have some good leftovers to snack on! (I’ll probably have a bit of those left overs, too!)

I’ve gotten in the habit of giving thanks several times a day every day. I thank God and the universe for health, comfort, and being in my right mind (as my grandmother, Mother, used to say). Being in your right mind means that you can do what you need to do and face whatever life is bringing you.

I give thanks upon waking, while walking, before meetings, at meals, and before I go to bed. Thanks and prayer are always sprinkled throughout my day as are snatches of the gospel songs that I grew up on.

I pray for those who need extra prayers – family, friends, and strangers. I give thanks that some of the recent travails visited upon loved ones have ended or are nearing an end. I ask God for continued blessings in my life and meditate on what I can do to help myself. I often have to get out of my own way and not let fear or cynism block my journey.

I pray to God and the universe for forgiveness for the things that we humans do.

To all who read this – enjoy your day. Be fully present in it. Remember to give thanks.