THANKSGIVING IS ALL ABOUT SHARING

Growing up in my family
Thanksgiving was all about gathering with next of kin, whenever possible
And sharing a scrumptious turkey dinner, with all the trimmings
Nana and Grandpa were there, Mom was busy all day in the kitchen,
Alison and I would be setting the table, doing any last minute cleaning,
Preparing our home to  welcome visitors with tasty turkey, dressing and gravy,
brussel sprouts, a big fruit salad, yams with pineapple, apple cider for the kids, wine for the adults
The smells meant this is a special day.   I still love pumpkin pie to this day! Let us rejoice and be glad together!

Now I am not able to prepare such a meal, but I did so for my own family when the boys were
  growing up, wherever we lived.  A few years ago, we'd have a dinner like this in a friend's home,
  and Jeff was usually present, once Neal and Adrienne, and often a guest who had no family nearby.
How times do change,  but this time of year is about connecting and sharing good food, fond memories.
Jeff and I have just returned from visiting this friend who now lives alone, in an assisted living facility;  he no longer is able to cook, but he sure enjoyed our company, and the pumpkin pie I left in his fridge.
Today Jeff will join  me for a potluck dinner at the Unitarian Fellowship.
Another year to count our blessings and remember those no longer able to be with us.

Wherever you may be, I wish you a safe and lovely Thanksgiving, with friends and family too, when possible.  May you take time to reflect on the blessings in your life.  It is a gift to be alive, not taken for granted anymore as we grow older!

With Grace and Gratitude

   WITH GRACE AND GRATITUDE Jeff and I again travel to California to visit an old friend.  So many trips we've taken to see mom in her sunset years.  Those days are over now.  We had hoped to see Hilda this time, but she is not well enough for a visit after breaking her pelvis in early November.
So we are saying yes, weather willing, to a trip to see another friend becoming too fragile for travel himself.  Feeling a certain sadness, and it could be the time of year and the foggy mist outside, along with knowing life is not forever, and good friends die, as shall we when our time comes.
   For now, we are blessed with the health to still be able to travel, enjoy the journey, and pay our respects to one who was once my partner, but our paths have taken different directions.  With grace and a tender heart, we travel, giving thanks for life's many blessings this Thanksgiving week.
   The top photo is Curtis and me on a summer trip some years ago, enjoying an area southwest of Mt. Shasta where the waterfalls are beautiful.  The middle photo captures the majestic mystery of the Grand Canyon on a trip Jeff took with his dad.  The lower photo was taken at the Avalon, before it closed its doors, ending, at least for the immediate future, a lovely venue for live music.  Life is full of new  beginnings, and yes, times where we pay our respects and let go of hopes and expectations, trusting the unknown will unfold in its own ways!
  
  

WHAT AM I HERE FOR?

You are here, dear One, to use your powers of self-discipline, reflection, listening to wise teachers (whether they be angels, spirit  guides, or living masters too) to discern what helps you heal your heart, mind, body and soul.  This is a long journey, and you have learned many lessons already in this life .
time.   Your  writing is one way you share wisdom as well as what it is to be human and not have answers for many questions.  You share when you listen and talk with people too.
   You need more time in solitude than most folks, for you are a mystic, and a contemplative one at that!
Being in the presence of natural beauty feeds your soul, and that is why you so love taking photographs, for you love to share what may not be expressed in words alone.
    As you give priority to your own healing, you also are open to healing others, for you are a being of light, and you see wonder in experiences others don't even notice.   Pay attention: what gives you joy and peace?  How can you change a stressful thought?  Here Byron Katie's work is one skill for inquiry, and for you, sos is meditation, movement, trusting more what you are told by wise teachers, and fearing less.  You cannot be happy in a partnership with someone not open to the journey of becoming more aware, more alive and wise.  At the same time, you like having closure with friends who are dying; sometimes this can be in person, benefitting you both, and sometimes it happens in prayer, song, honoring your feelings as they arise, and knowing "this too shall pass".
    Your body needs attention of course, for its well-being supports everything you do.  Think of the whole community as your  support at Christmas time, and let  your children go as they choose.  This is advice from a guardian angel who watches over you day and night.  She is Gabriella, so call on her.  She knew you needed a buddy to hug at night, and his name shall be David, or Emmy for Emmanuel, you choose!  Peace be with you.  Another great peacemaker is indeed near death, and he has many disciples to carry on his work.  You too are a peacemaker, not an easy calling in these troubled times.

FOREVER IN MY HEART

FOREVER IN MY HEART

I remember you, dear friend

Always curious, kind, inquisitive, open  to new learning and adventures

You reached out to touch so many lives

With your warmth, your bright mind and open heart.

When we have the courage to love deeply,

We shall know sorrow as well as joy

For our cup runs deeply, and we are sensitive beings

So suddenly we may leave this life, sometimes without time for good-byes

I weep remembering our bond of deep friendship.

We were special to one another, and that love shall not die.