15 Days of Thankfulness: The Last Three Days

The 15 Days of Thankfulness has ended-it's been a wonderful exercise in gratitude. Somewhere in the back of my mind I have an appreciation for things that I don't express, but should. The past two weeks has caused me to think, to dig deeper, to examine what there is in my life to be thankful for-and why.

I purposely left the last three days go so I could do them together, because I think this post will be a fitting end to the 15 Days of Thankfulness.

Days 13-15

If you've been following this blog any length of time, you know that I came to where I am now on my spiritual journey because I wanted to enlarge my concept of the Divine. Rubrics, dogma and guidelines are wonderful tools which point you on  your way in the beginning. Everyone needs a map to get to where they're going; you need to be pointed in the right direction. By right direction, I mean right for you-and you only. Spiritual relationship is a personal exchange, it's an individual path, and you make the journey alone no matter how many others are heading in a similar direction. Notice I said headed in a similar direction, because the crowd may be facing East, but what you see defines what East is for you...and no two people are standing in the same spot, so they don't see things exactly the same. The unfolding of your path is your own personal journey, and as such, your experience is what colors it.

So first of all, I am thankful for a spiritual path where there are few rules to follow and less obstacles to connecting with the Divine. I like the accessibility of being able to focus at anytime in any place and know that my inner most thoughts and desires are being heard without ever having to speak them- because oft times words fail to fully convey the feeling. I am thankful for a spiritual path that allows me to see the God of my understanding in myself, that restores my birthright to being a co-creator of my Universe, that give me the freedom to explore the religions of others and take into myself things which will enrich my sense of worship. I am thankful that any time I want to commune with the Divine I can with the assurance that I am heard.

There are a lot of things that make me laugh. I probably laugh at myself more than anything else, because being human is ironically comical at times. We do some amazingly crazy, silly, funny stuff in spite of our presumption that we are the dominant species on Earth and have dominion over everything else. That presumption alone makes us pretty funny.

I loved the TV variety shows of the 60s, 70s and 80s; some of the best comics of the era were guest stars or starred in their own shows during that time. We've  lost exposure to a lot of talent since that genre of TV died out; I personally think the demise of the variety show has contributed to the dumbing down of the entertainment industry in general. Entertainers who hosted their own weekly variety shows- Carol Burnett, Red Skelton, Dean Martin, et al, were not only specifically talented singers, comics or dancers, but dabbled in other areas: singers tried their hand at acting and dancing, dancers were actors, comics were actors and singers and some did a little of everything. That's the definition of the word Superstar to me. Many of them were terrific comedians simply because they could pick the irony out of everyday life and present it in a way that made us groan in sympathy or identify with the subject. That's what made me laugh. Many of the so-called comics currently fashionable get laughs by embarrassing an individual or group, and the laughter is mean-spirited and vulgar. I really don't like laughing at the expense of another person's  misfortune; it's just cruel, and I suspect the root of so much of the bullying we see today begins this way. Lucy used to get into some hysterical predicaments-like the time she was working in a chocolate factory and lost control of the conveyor belt and started cramming her mouth full of chocolates to hide them. That was funny, and no body got hurt. More to the point, everyone understood the emotion behind it-that's what made it funny. We were amused by Lucy's antics, but secretly, we were laughing at our own.

What am I thankful for on the last day ? I am thankful for food, friends and fellowship; for music and art to enrich my soul and satisfy my spirit; for friends and animals past and present who brought joy and companionship to my life; for the beauty of Nature and the connection to that place of Deep Indwelling where I truly exist and live out my life.

Happy Thanks-giving and Abundant Blessing throughout the year.