Giving Thanks

image credit:The Jamoker

Happy Thanksgiving! Today we celebrate Thanksgiving here in Canada, giving thanks for a good harvest. It feels so satisfying as I walk through the garden, harvesting the last zucchinis, beans and tomatoes. As I survey the wind blown, sodden bean trellises and withering plants, I am reminded that Fall is here. It has been a bountiful summer, and there’s still lots of food outside that will be available through the winter: kale, swiss chard, broccoli, brussel sprouts, cabbages, beets, and turnips. The pantry is full with winter squash, carrots, potatoes, canned apple sauce, and canned peaches. Yes we do have a lot to be grateful for, food for the body and happy gardening memories for the soul.

It is so easy to take for granted the food that we eat, that nourishes us and sustains life. To witness  the life cycle of the food I eat is a blessing in itself; the digging of the soil, sowing the tiny seeds, coddling the seedlings, weeding, watering and feeding the young plants, killing slugs, spraying aphids and finally harvesting luscious fruit and vegetables. The life cycle of the vegetable and flower garden is a miracle that happens every year, and yet every time, I am amazed; from a tiny seed, the most delicious vegetables and fragrant, beautiful flowers.

The garden is a wonderful metaphor for our own life’s journey:

• choose what you want to nurture yourself with
• plan and create a space for what you want to grow
• prepare the ground, build up the soil; the foundations for healthy growth
• sow seeds with the hope that they come to fruition, provide the best growing conditions and trust in nature
• lovingly nurture the seedlings; giving enough food, water, warmth and light
• provide a safe space for healthy growth, guard against pests and disease
• after you do all you can, sit back, admire the plants and let nature do its thing
• harvest the fruits of your labor and give thanks for all your blessings

This Thanksgiving I am grateful for the bountiful gifts of Mother Earth; food, air and water for my nourishment, shelter for my body, and beauty for the nurturing of my soul. I am grateful for my health and well-being and for the privilege of engaging in the spiritual healing journey. I give thanks for all the simple joys in my life; my home, my garden, my family, my friends, all my teachers, my great books, my great music and most especially myself! I thank you readers and fellow bloggers for your continued encouragement and support.

I cherish all these simple blessings, they can be taken away at any moment. The outer trappings I can easily let go of as they come and they go, but the basic needs of human life, the love and nurturing of family and friends, the teachings of the spiritual masters that have taught me how to live well; these are my authentic wealth. I honor all these gifts that I have been blessed with and pray that I may always remember to be grateful.