23 November 2011

What Thanksgiving Means

Tomorrow, millions of people across the globe, including the United States, The Netherlands, Liberia, and other countries, will celebrate Thanksgiving. While the holiday’s origin differs by country –Canada’s first Thanksgiving was a ceremony held by English explorer Martin Frobisher, who gave thanks after surviving a long and brutal journey by sea from England, for example–Thanksgiving is a time for sharing in the happiness that comes from spending time with family, loved ones and friends. That, along with enjoying a bountiful Thanksgiving Day feast, is a reason to give thanks.

The times in which we’re living, fraught with war, financial turmoil, civil unrest, scandal and daily reminders of just how fragile our economic structure is, make Thanksgiving even more meaningful. I believe they serve to reinforce what’s most important—the people in our lives who mean the most to us. I am most thankful for my wife, in whose love, friendship and warmth I bask throughout the year.  It is also a reminder to us all of two essential truths.

We are all on a journey and if we spend our time frantically trying to “do,” to live in “buzz” and compete with the frenetic material world, we are losing essential elements of life. When we surrender to this we let go the truth of needing to be celebrate what we are and who we are with.

We only have a limited time in this life and by living in fear of what might happen, by swimming in the adrenalin, judgment and negativity constantly thrown at us by our leaders and the media we are wasting that time. We need to celebrate as we awake every day and hold that celebration through our conscious days. In truth, we all have much to celebrate!  

What are you thankful for? Who or what is most important to you? We would enjoy hearing from you here, on Facebook and on Twitter.

In the meantime, on behalf of the Cambridge Beaches family, I wish you and your families a joyous and safe Thanksgiving, and a happy Holiday Season!

Cheers!


Mike