The Spirit of the Season
AS
I WRITE THIS, I’ve just this morning returned from celebrating
my very first traditional Thanksgiving Dinner here in the United States.
Although I’ve lived here for five years, somehow fate has always
conspired to send me overseas when Thanksgiving has come round every
other year.
As a foreigner, I’ve never really had a good handle on what Thanksgiving,
as Americans celebrate it, is all about. The nearest I’ve ever
got to such a celebration is the traditional Sunday Harvest Festival
church service that I used to be made to attend as a child, which
was a much more low-key affair - a few hymns, a prayer of thanks for
an abundant harvest, and that was it. No big family get togethers
for us Brits. And no turkey dinner. We were still fattening them up
for the Christmas Feast ahead.
But you know what? Having now got to experience this simple yet, very
meaningful festivity for myself, I finally get what it's all about.
And I can’t help thinking that it wouldn’t hurt any of us
to devote a whole day (and preferably more than that) reflecting on
all that we have to celebrate and appreciate in our lives, rather
than, as I've often been guilty of in the past, poring over catalogues,
making lists of all the gifts I'd like to buy for others and, of course,
receive, as if any of us in the West truly know what it is to be in
lack.
This was driven home to me the other day as I was rushing around,
trying to complete all the projects and deadlines I had to do so I
could justify the luxury of closing the office door on Thanksgiving
Day and, goodness me, allowing myself to enjoy the rare indulgence
of staying overnight with friends. All I could think about in my busy
little state was how much I had to do… how overworked I was…
how little time I had to spare… (yes, you’ve heard this
one before from me, haven’t you?)… blah, blah, blah…
Then it struck me… Well, two things struck me, actually.
The first thing that stopped me in my tracks was the realization that
– shame on me – after all the nudges, insights, epiphanies
and in-my-face awakenings I’ve had to the fact, here I was once
again, sliding back down the same old well-worn groove, sounding just
like that old boring record, moan, moan, moan, poor little me, poor
little me, poor little me… when, who was it exactly that was
to blame for my overloaded scheduled? Duh!
The second realization that hit me was just how darned lucky I was
to have the opportunity to be involved in so many exciting projects
as PlanetLightworker, Children of the New Earth, and some of the other
fun things I get to do as part of my ‘day job’. I mean,
let's be honest, I’m the kind of person that hates not
having anything to do. If I don’t have at least one project to
be working on, and another two waiting in the wings, my bottom, as
my mother used to say, starts making buttons – which was her
way (bless her) of saying I get downright fidgety and ansty.
So just who was I kidding with this poor little me routine? Here I
am, a healthy, energetic, woman with a wealth of good, loving friends,
a truly lovely family, two wonderful, loving children who never cease
to make me proud, not to mention a beautiful joy of a daughter-in-law
who lets me take over her home, sometimes for weeks at a time, and
still treats me as warmly as if I were her own mother, and a brand
new, genuinely caring son-in-law – who even – can you believe
this? - offers me 24-hour tech support!
Boy, if ever there was anyone who badly needed to switch their perception
and start giving thanks for their lot, rather than bemoaning it, it
was, is, and absolutely has to be me.
I loved the very first Thanksgiving Day I spent here in the
US. I am truly grateful that I had the opportunity to be forced so
sharply out of my well-worn groove and reminded of all that I have
to be thankful for in my life.
And
to prove it - forgive me America - but I’m going to appropriate
the spirit and the principles behind your Thanksgiving holiday and
carry it home with me to England this Christmas. Because I never,
ever again want to forget to take the time to spend a few sacred moments
really appreciating all the things that I have to be thankful
for in my life. And what better day than Christmas Day to share this
precious gift with my family?
Wherever you are in the world, however you spend your Christmas, may
you experience the joy and comfort of knowing what true abundance
really is.
Peace, blessings, joy, and above all love to you and yours,
Sandie
