“ENOUGH . . . is a feast”

Nothing encapsulates the meaning of Thanksgiving more than this Buddhist proverb. When we realize gratitude isn’t turkey or a holiday but a way of being, we are already blessed.

Image by iStockPhoto

Not every Thanksgiving finds us spilling over with gratitude. Times of loss, of grief, of illness all color our gratitude scale. At times, we might even feel as carved out as the bird on the table, yet there are always blessings to be found, often in abundance. And that gratitude is what we share with others

It’s easy to be thankful when life goes our way but when bad things happen, it’s a lot tougher to see the silver lining. When we look around or even back, we find moments of peace, joy, laughter and love, things that sustain and inspire us. Sometimes, pictures help jog our memory so I thought I’d use a few of my own to express some pictorial gratitude this Thanksgiving.

Expect nothing. Appreciate everything.

Even during a soul-traumatizing pandemic, the ‘helpers’ showed what it is to be life affirming. Hopefully we will never forget to be grateful but also . . . to pay it forward.

The secret to having it all, is feeling you already do.

Life is full of surprises.

Let the great ones take your breath away.

Be grateful for every moment with those you love. Life is fragile — and gone too soon.

The more grateful you are, the more present you become.

Be thankful for your struggles for without them you wouldn’t have found your strengths.

A grandchild . . . with their own child.

Who can not be grateful for living to see generations continue.

Gratitude paints little smiley faces on everything it touches. Richelle Goodrich

Be less in grief that love is no more — than in thankfulness that it was.

Until further notice . . .

Celebrate everything!

“It’s not just happy people who are thankful. It’s thankful people who are happy.”

I’m grateful every day for my children, grandchildren, (my first GREAT grandchild!), the man whose memory of love will last forever and for my abundance of wonderful friends. And for those who’ve followed my blog these past years — thank you!