Yes there is much to be thankful for in our lives. It is always helpful to pause and remind ourselves of the obvious – we are loved by the Creator and for that we are most Thankful.

Be thankful for those around you: family, friends, neighbors, store attendants, those serving in the armed services, those in the health care professions, those who keep us safe even in times of stress on our streets and in our cities, and all of the other persons (or strangers) who will cross our path this Thanksgiving.  And, please remember those whom we will meet today and every day. All are the Creator’s children, friends, daughters and sons.

But we must also not take for granted those who are the closest to us. Remember and be thankful for your husband, wife, children, grand-children, step-children, life partner, parents, brothers, sisters, in-laws, close friends, and your fiancé.

Pause to remember those who saw the face of the Creator and moved on to the fullness of New Life in the Creator’s presence.

And take a special moment to think and meditate on something that Thomas Merton said in No Man Is an Island. Perhaps this is an insight into unconditional love:

Take a breath, enjoy the silence, think of your spouse, your fiancé and pray these words:

“The beginning of love is the will to let those we love be perfectly themselves, the resolution not to twist them to fit our own image. If in loving them we do not love what they are, but only their potential likeness to ourselves, then we do not love them: we only love the reflection of ourselves we find in them”

Happy Thanksgiving from The Journey Emerges