Blessing Way
O Great One, I come before you in a humble manner,
giving thanks for all living things in Creation.
I offer the clarity of my mind, body, spirit and natural space in prayer to you, O Great One, for the spirit of all Creation.
I offer thanks and what gifts I have to Four Sacred Directions and powers of the universe and I pray:
To the spirit of Fire in the East,
To the spirit of Earth in the South,
To the spirit of Water in the West,
To the Spirit of Wind in the North.
I pray and give thanks to you O Great One.
I pray and give thanks to Mother Earth, Father Sky, Grandfather Sun,
Grandmother Moon, and all of our relations in the Greater Circle of Life.
I thank you for your power, energy, wisdom and sacred gifts, because without you and the guidance of all my relations, I would not be able to live, and love, and grow, and feel and learn.
I ask that I be shown another way if I have ever harmed or hurt other living things.
I pray, offering what gifts I have, that you may guide us, heal us, purify us, and protect us.
I pray for all of our relations that we may exist together in harmony and balance.
“Wah Doh”
     -A Cherokee Prayer of Thanksgiving by J.T. and Michael Garrett [Wah Doh means thank you in the Cherokee language.]

Like millions of Americans either at home or abroad, I am preparing our Thanksgiving table this week. The meal will celebrate the bounty of the season with traditional dishes that have come to represent the comfort of home and family as we go around the table reflecting on what we are thankful for in our lives.

I love the tradition of gathering together and feasting and giving thanks. The food and fellowship fill the body and spirit in the best way. With the hectic pace that has become our familiar daily landscape, it’s a welcome pause of reflection moving into the final weeks of the year. Gratitude itself is a high vibration emotion and the practice of gratitude enhances our wellbeing and gifts us with a brighter outlook to the future.

The story goes that on the first Thanksgiving in 1621 the Pilgrims shared a harvest feast with the Native Americans. They gave thanks for the harvest and most likely for having survived a long first year in a new place. It is worth remembering that this was a communal meal between two very different groups coming together to share in the gifts of the Earth and the fruit of their labors. Regardless of various backgrounds and faiths and beliefs, we will come together this year and express our gratitude for the blessings in our lives and for what we have survived this year, despite the losses and challenges that we have collectively faced.

While our American tradition of Thanksgiving has evolved and transformed into a national holiday focused on family and feasting, the Native Americans maintain a tradition of daily gratitude. They give thanks for breath, for life, for the elements that sustain life, and so much more. I have learned to be thankful for the promise of each new day and the beauty of nature that reminds me that I exist in this incredible co-creation with nature and the planet and the universe. I am grateful for friends and family and those who have encouraged and supported me throughout the year(s), and I am grateful for the wisdom and resources that have allowed me to support others. May you and your loved ones experience a season of blessings and embrace gratitude this week, on Thanksgiving Day, and every day.