For about 158 years now, the US has been celebrating the national holiday of Thanksgiving, which was established by President Lincoln during the Civil War, nearly 250 years after the English landed and began settling at Plymouth. Although Thanksgiving, like most holidays in the US, has incorporated current culture and consumerism into its celebration, it has retained its primary function—celebration and feasting as a means of giving thanks.You can read one version of the origin of Thanksgiving here:

https://www.history.com/topics/thanksgiving/history-of-thanksgiving

For another version, told by a Wampanoag native, listen here:

vhttps://www.capeandislands.org/show/the-point/2019-11-21/myths-of-the-first-thanksgiving?fbclid=IwAR15HyMWgOqXwVRDKuEfxfXRQd8H63A4qD3KKAkW7HAX67KQwTgTiGxr-E4#stream/0

We talk about the “truth of history,” but I believe experience and even “facts” can be twisted and turned to meet and validate our own perceptions (take a look at any of the legal proceedings currently in the news, if you don’t believe me). Every single one of us is biased and leans toward a particular truth. Facts are merely what we believe to be true and no more. Philosophy for another blog post, I think.

Today, it is common practice to think about who and what we are grateful for and to express that in letters or cards and social media posts, in giving and volunteering. Everyone is expected to be thankful for, at minimum, life and the privilege of being alive and able to experience the world. The expectations at this time of the year are boundless–be thankful for family (even if that family is a spouse that beats you every night), be grateful for life (even if you are homeless, without food, and living under the bridge or so severely depressed that your world is two dimensional and without color), give thanks for your neighbors (even if you live in a place where they break in and steal from you, even if they harass and berate you at every opportunity), and the list goes on.

At the top of my gratitude list (because yes, I do make one every year and try to think of at least one thing every day for which to be thankful) are the folks who have no expectations of others. Who accept people as they are and don’t try at every turn to put them in a familiar (if not stifling) box. Who offer compassion and understanding and space for others’ growth. Who, at the same time, offer encouragement and help in seeing others’ talents put to a use that serves all.

Some other things on my list, in no particular order:

1. My mom, who is my best friend and staunchest supporter
2. My brother, sister-in-law, niece, and nephew
3. My girls – Lottie and Macie
4. Those who have passed–both human and non-human–and enriched my life in so many ways
5. Friends and family, near and far
6. My own stick-to-itness
7. RS and MG, you know who you are 🙂
8. The ability to learn and think critically and write
9. The trees and the forests, the hidden paths and the graveled walkways
10. The blue jay and the starling and all their kin
11. Herons and white bears and dragonflies and arctic foxes and ravens (some of my animal guides)
12. Squirrels (yes, I love them!)
13. All the creatures of the earth, water, and air
14. A job with a company that stresses kindness and insists each and every employee is valuable
15. Solitude
16. No-kill animal rescues and sanctuaries
17. Imagination
18. The ability to feel and to recognize what serves me and what does not
19. The ability to see all sides (sometimes a bit of a curse, though)
20. Books
21. Compassionate, cruelty-free living
22. Labyrinths
23. Energy healing and color therapy
24. The ability to connect with animals
25. The OBOD community

Sometimes, many times, it’s hard to think about being grateful when the world is falling down around you. I know. Be gentle with yourself, and remove all the “shoulds” from your vocabulary. Forget about what everyone says you need to be doing, and just take care of yourself. Gratitude will come in the small things, and in the end, the small things are really all that matter.

If you haven’t had dinner yet, consider a vegetarian or vegan meal and help alleviate a bit of the suffering in this world.

Happy Thanksgiving!