Happy Gratitude Day!

If the only prayer you ever say in your whole life is ‘thank you,’ that would suffice.
~Meister Eckhart

Thanksgiving is by far my favorite holiday. I mean, a whole day dedicated to gratitude -- what could be better than that? I know not everyone remembers that aspect of this holiday, choosing instead to focus on football and turkey. And don't get me wrong, the holiday "trimmings" do play their part. But for me, it is always such a great opportunity to remember what all I am grateful for.

Today that gratitude begins with my family of choice, those friends who have been more than just friends, who have been such a deep support system that they've become family. My mom and I started celebrating Thanksgiving with friends of ours about 20 years ago. We've all moved around a lot during those 20 years, and managed to continue the holiday tradition in many different locations over the years, but now we find ourselves together again living within 40 miles of each other. I am truly grateful to be celebrating Thanksgiving "old school" this year, with this very important subset of my family of choice.

There are so many things I find myself grateful for today that I've put together an ABC's of gratitude. Not only was it fun, but it encouraged me to explore my gratitude in a different way, enabling me to enjoy the surface and yet go a little deeper with it. Give it a try yourself and see how it goes. Namaste.

Autumn beauty     Being peaceful, powerful, and playful     Connection with Source     Dancing and drumming     Expanding consciousness     Family and friends     Grounded     Having my mom and Bonnie & Clyde (her cats) nearby     Intuitive insight     Joyful noise     Knowledge and understanding     Love and laughter with my husband     Morgan and Gryphon (my cats)     Nature in all its glory     Opportunities on the horizon     Power animals     Quiet time to just be     Release of the past     Shamanic journeying circle     Trust in my inner wisdom     Urban Dog Walkers     Vision     Women helping me to connect to my divine feminine     eXcitement and passion for life     Year of exploration     Zeppelin in the sky (I want to take a ride!)

Photo: "Autumn orange," originally uploaded by Jurek Durczak