Thanksgiving | 22shangrila

autumn leaves It is Thanksgiving Weekend here in the Great Not-White-Yet North – traditionally a time of gratitude for all that you have been blessed to receive during the past year, and a prayer of thanks for all you hope to receive in the year to come.

Here it is also Autumn – a time when the leaves turn many colors, and at their perfect time, carpet the ground below. They dance midst the winds with a kind of reckless abandon as though they know their time is running short. I find myself incredibly grateful to watch them on this sunny day. I have always loved the dance of leaves.

I am grateful also for you, wherever you are – friends and strangers – those who click ‘like’ here and those who choose to ‘follow’. Thank you for dipping into the well that is 22shangrila and thank you for hanging around. Whether we have met or not, you make everything a bit brighter.

We live in an exquisitely beautiful world. Not always easy to remember in the midst of chaos, I know. So thank you for noticing its beauty, for taking the time to breathe it in, and for honoring it in your lives. For that, and for all you dare to do that is full of love, I am most grateful.

To you all, and to this very special planet which we all call home – THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!

May your days be ever blessed with love.

TODAY IS SUNDAY – our LET’S MAKE SUNDAY A DAY OF LOVE day. Whether we share that love with those close to our hearts, or with casual friends or strangers through kindness and compassion, it is a day where we choose to allow Love to be the guiding light within out lives.

In a world currently up to its proverbial rafters in drama, let alone the real pain and suffering so many are going through, Love is needed more than ever. To see the other through the eyes of Love is to give our hearts a chance to open to the world as it is meant to be. It is an opportunity to offer the one gift you can truly give that can know no bounds – the Love That Passeth All Understanding. Touch that within yourself, allow it to flow forth unconditionally, and you will have found the door to Home.

Here in the Great White North – not so white yet but large and definitely North – it is also THANKSGIVING WEEKEND – a time of gratitude when we acknowledge, appreciate, and give thanks for all that has been given to us. We give thanks for the kindnesses that have been offered, for the food on our tables, the friendships that prosper, and the blessings that have been given. And for the opportunity each day provides for us to share our gifts and our love with the world.

And so I thank you, each and everyone of you, wherever you may be, for your courage and willingness to step beyond the norm, to share your kindness with others, your laughter, your joy, your smile; to dare to love, and in loving, nourish your visions of a world of harmony, balance, and yes, even peace – so that one day, hopefully very soon, those visions will have become our reality.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO YOU ALL!