By Rev. Janet Stobie
In our wonderful country of Canada, we welcome fall with our Thanksgiving celebrations. What better way to say goodbye to the blessings of summer? As I watch the birds tank up at my feeders in preparation for their trip south- or the winter ahead – I have to be grateful. This country, this world, is so wonderful. Thanksgiving reminds me of the blessings showering down upon us every day.
In his book, Embers, Canadian Ojibway First Nations writer Richard Wagamese tells us, “Happiness is an emotion that is the result of circumstances. Joy is a spiritual engagement with the world based on gratitude.” Wise words.
Make this Thanksgiving anew beginning in your life. Be intentional about “truly seeing, truly feeling.”
For example, around our patio, two or three – maybe more – resident chipmunks chase each other in and out of the flower beds. To truly see them, I have to stop and and watch if only for a moment. I enjoy their energy, their ability to play. They are cute, even though they sometimes eat my flowers. Our home is just as much theirs as it is ours. I thank God, our Creator, for smiling with me as I continue on my way.
Across the street from our home, a new family has moved in. They have four girls, age five to eleven. It’s fun to see the rainbow of bike helmets parading up and down the street, to listen to their laughter as they play. I feel good knowing this well-spring of youth is just across the street. They make it easy to smile and be grateful.
There are many ways to truly see. Sometimes it’s a feeling. Receive any hugs you are offered with gratitude. Hugs are gifts of love we don’t earn. Scientists say they add to our good health. Take a moment to feel the love, the caring, that is being offered. My toddler great-granddaughter gives me the hug; she calls her “squeeze,” I soak in the warmth of her small body. I feel my body’s natural response. I smile and thank her and God from my heart.
Even when running errands, I can seek and appreciate something special about each encounter. People smile. They speak. Even the way they walk or dress can teach me something. I’m working on training my “eyes,” my being, to recognize the beauty around me and to focus my heart consciously on gratitude.
We celebrate Thanksgiving to grow and to harvest appreciation. Why? What will that change about this tired old world? I believe, if we consciously, truly practice gratitude, JOY will become a way of life for us. And, like the flutter of a butterfly’s wings that is felt across the world, our JOY will echo throughout the universe.
We have a choice in how we live our lives. We can see only what is missing. We can see only what is wrong. We can live a life focused on scarcity, not enough. Think about it. What will that attitude add to the peace and joy in this world? Or we can search for and recognize the abundance that surrounds us. We can give thanks. We can be a source of goodness and love in our world.
St. Paul said, “Pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”(1 Thessalonians 5:17-19 NIV).
For more reflections: www.janetstobie.com.