Thanksgiving, celebrated this weekend in Canada, brings to my mind the ripple-out effects of an Attitude of Gratitude! I would like to offer a selection of Thanksgiving posts which I have enjoyed, with some links for your consideration.
It can be a transformative experience to create a gratitude list. We’ve all heard about this, but have we done it? I just did. For me the list could be endless (and not diminished by the acknowledgement of concurrent suffering and ignorance in the world…though at times it is a challenge to hold them both).
You might also consider what “jolts you into awe and appreciation”? Here is one of my favourites, a TEDx talk by Louie Schwartzberg called Gratitude. His award winning, time-lapse photography takes my breath away. The images and comments underscore our links to the natural world, our interconnectedness, and the pure beauty of creation. A child and an old man talk to us poignantly, and invite us to experience fully and deeply the gifts we receive each unique day, and then to let our appreciation ripple out as a blessing on others!
I also love this song-poem, Gratitude: A Love Song to the World. I can’t sit still when I play this :-). Have to get up and dance!
In Thanksgiving: Let Us All Be Grateful we are reminded that giving thanks is a reset for our hearts and minds and lives. And there is a lovely poem of thanksgiving by John Berryman.
Thanksgiving, Gratitude and Happiness, Hmmmm… highlights some skillful means to cultivate the attitude of gratitude, and one is laughter :-).
Reasons To Be Grateful, Let Me Count the Ways contains a starter list, and some cooool links to others’ thoughts on this rich subject.
Whether you feast with family, or not, I wish you a sweet time, meaningful connections, good food, and warmth, inside and out. What a grand adventure our lives are! How often are we in touch with this, with celebration, gratitude, wonder and awe? This is the one life we’ve been given. And this is the only today. And this is right now.
Jill Schroder is the author of BECOMING: Journeying Toward Authenticity. BECOMING is an invitation for self-reflection, and to mine our memorable moments for insights, meaning, and growth. Check the website for a sample chapter, or see the reviews to get a flavor for the volume. Follow me on Twitter, let’s be friends on Facebook 🙂
