For many of you especially if you are from the United States, soon will be Thanksgiving holiday. A day to reflect on the past year, to look around you and count your blessings. For many, it’s a day and long weekend with family and friends enjoying traditional foods and having a joyous time. Whether you celebrate this holiday or another, I invite you to have a seat at this white bench under this giant tree (I couldn’t stop taking pictures for all of you when I saw it!) you see here on the photo to reflect.

Yes, I invite you to count your blessings and practice gratitude. However you do it, I invite you to slow down and take some time for this practice. I know in our loud, crazy, busy, and fast-paced world a moment of silence seems too long and awkward. Many of us barely put our phones away, hardly listen anymore to the sound of nature, or even look into the eyes of a loved one. I invite you to imagine sitting on this white bench looking up.

What do you see (in your mind)? Which feelings come up? If nothing comes to mind, I invite you (once you are finished reading this post), to take a moment, put the phone away, close your eyes, and imagine you were sitting on this bench reflecting. You might find that you start to remember all the many things you are indeed grateful for this year.

Blessings are like the branches on the giant tree. You don’t always see them. Sometimes they are small because they just grew out, sometimes they are full of leaves, and sometimes hidden under the snow. Other times it is too dark to see them. In life, it’s the same. There are times in our lives that are too dark to see the good. And yet, they are always there.

With this short practice of gratitude, I hope you have a wonderful fall in the northern hemisphere. To my American friends, a heartfelt and blessed Happy Thanksgiving.

Love,

Barb

Written by Barbara Bullock, spiritual writer copyright November 2022. Photo by Barbara Bullock 2022 taken at Laxenburg, Austria.