Gratitude without Denial

I know I’m not alone in feeling inner turmoil during the holiday season. And I just wanted to put it out there, that it’s okay to feel ALL the feelings.

We can celebrate all that we are grateful for AND mourn the collective loss that the original Thanksgiving commemorates.

Today and every day I give infinite gratitude for the abundance of Mother Earth’s gifts that we get to share with our extended Earthly family.

And also mourn the brutal loss of ancestors, culture, livelihoods, knowledge, health, land, and resources of Indigenous Peoples.

I am grateful for my loving, supportive family and friends.

And feel pain knowing many feel alone and like they have no one to be with, no family or friends to share their lives with today and all year round. (They exist, you just haven't found them yet!) Millions live on the streets and live in cars, get ignored and shamed all year round. And on days like today, especially feel the lacking of sustenance and community when so many of us are gorging with our families on more food than our bodies can handle.

I am grateful for shelter over my head. Clean water to drink. A brain that can think. A heart that can boundlessly love. Most of all, I am grateful for the ability to recognize how blessed I am.

And acknowledge the overconsumption this holiday season traditionally brings. And the destruction to Mother Earth and her children that these practices cause.

I am grateful for the seeds and the trees, the birds and the bees. The sun and the rain. Soil and the sky. The farmers and the harvesters.

And my heart aches to know that many turkeys endure suffering all year round in tight cages. And are given growth hormones that cause them to become so heavy their ankles break and spend their lives hobbled in pain.

I am grateful for all those that help heal and nourish us. All of our loved ones here on Earth and those who are not but still live in our hearts. My prayer is to bring healing to all hearts that are suffering.

And I pray that as we express our gratitude and acknowledge our losses we can form new traditions that embrace, celebrate, and respect all of Mother Earth’s creations.

May each day be used to show gratitude for who and what we have in our lives, and may we give others reasons to be thankful.

Sending love and blessings to you and yours!

❤ ❤ ❤