by Pettis Perry
Thanksgiving is Life Giving
According to History.com "in 1621, the Plymouth colonists and Wampanoag Indians shared an autumn harvest feast that is acknowledged today as one of the first Thanksgiving celebrations in the colonies. For more than two centuries, days of thanksgiving were celebrated by individual colonies and states. It wasn't until 1863, in the midst of the Civil War, that President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a national Thanksgiving Day to be held each November."
Thanksgiving is Life Giving
According to History.com "in 1621, the Plymouth colonists and Wampanoag Indians shared an autumn harvest feast that is acknowledged today as one of the first Thanksgiving celebrations in the colonies. For more than two centuries, days of thanksgiving were celebrated by individual colonies and states. It wasn't until 1863, in the midst of the Civil War, that President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a national Thanksgiving Day to be held each November."
Whether you believe this day is a day of celebration or a day of mourning it has come to symbolize family get-togethers, kindness to others who are less fortunate than we are, and giving thanks for what we have. If nothing else it has come to represent abundance through the amount of food that is prepared and consumed. In fact, in the perponderance of dinners I've attended there's generally so much food left over that everyone who attended the feast is also able to take leftovers home to be consumed the next day.
When I think about Thanksgiving I am reminded of the feasts my mom used to prepare, the contributions my parents made to who I am today, how my son Matthew changed my life when he was born and how wonderful our father-son relationship has been throughout his lifetime, my relationships with my family members and friends, and for the evolution of my deepest spiritual Self connecting me to all things in the Universe.
My life has been filled with abundance even during times of substantial material scarcity. What I have learned through reflection about this phenomenon, is that my dark nights of the soul have illuminated my life in immeasurable ways once I understood their roles in causing my greatest periods of growth. As I've emerged from my dark nights I've learned that my happiness comes from within and as long as I am true to my Life path the abundance in my life will continue unabated. On a daily basis, I give thanks for how I've grown into the kind of adult who me as a child would be proud to grow up to become.
This is not some narcissistic statement of self-aggrandizement but rather a recognition of the many blessings that have come my way over the length and breadth of my life experience. I am thankful that whenever I begin to feel sorry for myself I am reminded by Life's circumstances that But, for the grace of God, there go I. It can always get worse! Therefore, my thanks are unending and my faith is unwavering.
Through my own process of reflection, what I have come to know is that I have no other choice but to live as I do. Like all people, it is through the Life path journey that we become illuminated in the secrets of the Universe which from my perspective is the reason we as mortals exist. So, as I contemplate my own life it has certainly been a Life of giving thanks for all of the many gifts I receive on a daily basis.
My life has been filled with abundance even during times of substantial material scarcity. What I have learned through reflection about this phenomenon, is that my dark nights of the soul have illuminated my life in immeasurable ways once I understood their roles in causing my greatest periods of growth. As I've emerged from my dark nights I've learned that my happiness comes from within and as long as I am true to my Life path the abundance in my life will continue unabated. On a daily basis, I give thanks for how I've grown into the kind of adult who me as a child would be proud to grow up to become.
This is not some narcissistic statement of self-aggrandizement but rather a recognition of the many blessings that have come my way over the length and breadth of my life experience. I am thankful that whenever I begin to feel sorry for myself I am reminded by Life's circumstances that But, for the grace of God, there go I. It can always get worse! Therefore, my thanks are unending and my faith is unwavering.
Through my own process of reflection, what I have come to know is that I have no other choice but to live as I do. Like all people, it is through the Life path journey that we become illuminated in the secrets of the Universe which from my perspective is the reason we as mortals exist. So, as I contemplate my own life it has certainly been a Life of giving thanks for all of the many gifts I receive on a daily basis.
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| (2011) Lake Nacimiento, CA |
Thank You!
Reference
http://www.history.com/topics/thanksgiving
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