Gratitude

This past week was one of the most important holidays for Insightful Path - that being Thanksgiving, a day where we share our gratitude with one another.

While originally from a small farming town in the mid-west, for me, Thanksgiving is a celebration where the people in your community can come together to share a meal, bring a plate of something that they’ve either put love into while preparing it, or even thought into while buying it…

I’ve done ‘traditional feasts’ for this holiday - but I’ve found that the eclectic mix of cultures, and tastes helps to capture the essence of this important day. Our home is filled with things we’ve found, and made our own. Teapots we’ve painted on. Birdbaths that were once broken, now fixed. Tables that were once worn, now sanded back and refurnished.

And this is like life. We are not happy when we attach our happiness to those things we don’t have, but want. We are happy when we can be happy with the things we do have, and want to care for them. The most important of these things, of course, is our family, friends, and community.

Recognising that we are all the same, and we are all different enables us to connect. Enables us to be engaged and enjoy spending time together. Even enables us to learn from one another (something that can only happen when there is difference).

Our world needs more interesting conversations with interesting people who differ from ourselves. I’ve tried to give my kids experiences where they can be a part of social gatherings where people of all different backgrounds and ages, and orientations, and experiences can gather and share and laugh and discuss and plan a better future together.

When you look at your life, what brings you gratitude? How do you share this with those in your community? The more we share our sense of gratitude, the more insightful our paths will become.