Happy Thanksgiving

A day off, a day to catch up, a day to connect. It can be all this and so much more. Sitting here at my computer this morning after making what looks to be a wonderful Pumpkin Apple-Butter pie (recipe from Paula Dean, the 'stick of butter' lady - God Bless her arteries!), I find myself reflecting on many different things.

There is so much that takes place in all of our lives that we simply just take for granted. We woke up this morning! Do you know what a big deal that is. And in truth, many did not wake up this morning. Or some, even in the USA, woke up hungry and not knowing where their next meal was coming from. It's a truth, yet so far from our awareness unless attention is drawn to it. We have computers to read such blogs! Some are without homes, jobs, enough money to even buy a single Holiday gift for a their child. Yet we don't necessarily think about that every day. Many of you know I love the Keep A Child Alive organization that gives needed HIV/AIDS meds to children and their families in Africa. I wonder as I sit down to a wonderfully healthy, tasty and over abundant meal today, what will that child have for dinner or worse yet, will they have even ONE meal today.

I don't find any of us wrong for not holding such thoughts and awarenesses in our minds throughout the day. We are "very busy" after all. But once the awareness is there, then we can't act as if we don't know. Of course then we are confronted with a sense of overwhelming inadequacy - "I'm just one person - what can I do"? Or "I already gave" (somehow absolving ourselves from a need to be present to what continues to occur today)!

Some of you have heard me speak of the wonderful story about the little boy walking along the beach at low tide when all he could see for miles were starfish washed up upon the beach, destined to dry out in the sun or be eaten by the sea gulls. Being of kind heart and unlimited potential, he began walking down the beach picking up starfish one at a time and tossing them back into the water, back into life. Now an elder man was walking down the beach and saw the boy and say "hey sonny, what do you think you're doing". The boy replied "I'm saving the starfish". The older man laughed and said "you can't do that. Look, down the beach there are thousands of starfish, you will never be able to save them and make a difference". With that the little boy bent down. Picked up a starfish. Looked at in inquisitively. And tossed it back into the water. The boy looked at the older man and said "I made a difference in that one's life".

We are all on this earth for a reason. It is no accident. It is no surprise that you are reading this sharing now, nor that I am thinking of this today on this day of Thanks. It's time to roll up our sleeves EVERYONE and look out into the world, beyond the boundary of our own being and experience. It's time to begin to think about what difference can we make, be it for a starfish, a homeless person, someone living with HIV, wild and domestic animals without a voice, or the middle aged neighbor or old friend who is home lonely today. Who have you not called for a while?

How dare we not use our lives to make a difference in this world. Who are we to allow our talents, skills, love and ability to go to waste. On this day of thanks, lets pause together for a moment and appreciate what we have.............................................................(no really... pause!!!)

And now think about the difference that you can make today in the life of another or the world.

Happy Thanksgiving!