Thanksgiving and gratitude the same and yet different; each word expressing a concept which on the surface means the same thing and yet below the surface, something slightly different. We are thankful for things we have been given, we are grateful for gifts bestowed upon us.
For instance I am thankful for my family and I have and feel gratitude for the time we have together. Thankful is an action completed, gratitude is open ended. It is the opening of your heart to allow someone else in. It is the blessing you do not take for granted.
As a yogi, I work hard to greet each day for the blessing it is. It is difficult to stop the constant list that runs through my mind and stay focused on appreciating the moment for what it is, a unique gift, and perfect by in and of itself.
When my family was young, I loved and was thankful for them but I am almost positive, I didn’t truly feel grateful for them. There was a sense of entitlement. Of course I was going to have a family; of course we were going to live happily ever after. The business of raising a family took all my energy, leaving me depleted at the end of the day. Being a Super Mom or as my son likes to say “Tiger Mom,” was exhausting. Fevers, melt downs and broken limbs really through a wrench into all the things I needed to accomplish. My life was spent constantly looking ahead. I was rarely in the present moment. Like a ship piercing the water chugging steadily forward, never paying attention to the beauty in the wake created.
My family has grown and I have had good reason to stop where I am and see my life through wiser eyes. To look back with regret would be the same thing as barreling forward; you lose sight of the present. So I stand here with gratitude for the life I have: For the love of a good man, for the smiles of two beautiful children, a family who has supported me when I needed them most, friends and coworkers who enrich my moments, for the children’s voices which fill my senses, work that brings me fulfillment, for a country which nourished my spirit, for a meditation practice that keeps me centered when centering seems impossible. All said and done, I am grateful for the life I have.
Happy Thanksgiving
Peace & Light,
Grace
Written by Grace Geller
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