“The greatest gift one can give is thanksgiving. In giving gifts, we give what we can spare, but in giving thanks we give ourselves.” -Brother David Steindl-Rast, Gratefulness, the Heart of Prayer
“Pass then through this little space of time conformably to nature, and end thy journey in content, just as an olive falls off when it is ripe, blessing nature who produced it, and thanking the tree on which it grew.” -Marcus Aurelius, Meditations
Before you can express any kind of gratitude, you first have to notice. Notice things. Notice your thoughts. Notice life. All its profound beauty. Notice. Notice. Notice!
The bird chirping outside your window.
The sun shining on your face.
The birch tree branch swaying in the wind.
The click clack of the dried leaf as it ambles down the asphalt street.
The dog splayed out, napping peacefully under the big, bay window.
The ferocious and never-want-to-let you-go hug from your child.
The infectious and all-is-right-in-the-world laugh from your spouse.
John Lennon’s voice in your headphones asking you to “picture yourself on a train in a station with plasticene porters with looking glass ties.“
The magical town of Shermer, IL and the genius of John Hughes.
The metronomic beating of your heart against your chest.
The cool air your breathe in. The warm air you exhale out.
That you can see, smell, taste, hear, feel.
That you can walk.
That you’re alive!
Notice and be grateful for ALL of it. (Even the suffering.)
Happy Thanksgiving dear reader. Know that I notice and am grateful for you every single day.
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