Appreciative of yous

[Bhavani <http://www.juno.com/~bhavaniowl>]

Enjoy your Thanksgiving !!!

*I cannot take credit for writng this, but liked it and wanted to
share... The Clan or Paw & Maw

Robert & Noelle-

In the midst of the usual pressures and anxieties of the Thanksgiving
holiday it's all too easy to forget that this day is about...giving
thanks. 

Giving thanks, or gratitude, is a core spiritual practice in every
religion. Thanksgiving Day is a wonderful opportunity to spend some time
completely free of the desire for things (and people) to be different
than they are and to appreciate life exactly the way it is. 

Our society is so focused on change, progress and improvement that we
often fail to enjoy "what is." I find that being grateful for "what is"
can be very challenging when it conflicts with my ego's notions of "how
it should be." 

Thanksgiving Day is a time to remember the original people of this land
who welcomed the first Europeans, fed them and taught them to plant corn.
The Native Americans had been practicing rituals of Thanksgiving for
thousands of years. They thanked the Creator every day for Life and the
gifts of the land. 

Although they changed the natural landscape with villages, paths and
agriculture, Native People also valued it just the way it was and
preserved an ecological balance. The European settlers on the other hand
began an aggressive process of "improving" the land that has resulted in
spoiling and polluting so much of our environment. 

There's a humbling lesson for us there. It's a lesson about thanks-giving
that Native People tried to teach us. Gratitude for life may be much more
important than we realize. Our real spiritual growth happens when our ego
takes a break from trying so hard to improve everything and everybody. 

Though we will surely continue to want life to be better than it is, we
can take this day to allow gratitude to show us how life is already
better than we think it is. Gratitude comes from an ancient root word
meaning pleasure. Being grateful for the moment is enjoying each moment. 

We wish you a Happy Thanksgiving and hope you enjoy your
day...consciously and creatively.