Thanksgiving is a time of open heartedness, a day when we come to the communal table with generous hearts and
share in the bounty of life.
As we reflect on our life with gratitude, we should be mindful to begin with
the gift of our own life, a gift that allows us to be a blessing unto others.
Life is a feast of splendid opportunities to give thanks, not for what we have
but for who we are. The Buddhist teaching on the perfection of giving begins
with the practice of self-compassion.
The notion of compassion and generosity
beginning with yourself is an invitation the poet Derek Walcott extends in his
poem: Love After Love. He reminds us
to "greet yourself in your own
mirror and give back your heart to yourself."
Too often in life, we are so busy doing, attending to the needs of our
children, our partner, responding to demands of work, forgetting our own needs.
Taking a moment for ourselves seems selfish on a day perceived for giving to
others.
On a day most women spend whipping up a storm for others, it seems fitting to
offer this reminder to be grateful for our own lives, to awaken the awareness
that as vessels of the Divine, we have the sacred obligation to replenish the
spring from which we draw our daily strength, bringing a sense of wholeness to
all aspects of our lives.
Tibetan Buddhist nun, Pema Chodron, teaches that "every moment is an opportunity for awakening." To be fully
present in your own life is a conscious exercise of connecting to the "stranger who was yourself."
