Thanksgiving Gratitude

Today is the day when those of us in the United States of America celebrate Thanksgiving. Since I was raised in the UK, this became a new holiday for me. Over the years, we have adapted our way of celebrating Thanksgiving. When we first moved to the US, we would gather with our international friends who were also without family. After our children were born, we would meet with another British/Italian family adapting the traditional American fare a little! More recently, we spend time on trips with family-friends.

As a newcomer to America, I have always been curious about the origins of Thanksgiving and I have read some thought-provoking articles written about this history. I was moved by this article by Sean Sherman, founder, and CEO of The Sioux Chef. He wrote, “No matter where you are in North America, you are on indigenous land. And so on this holiday, and any day really, I urge people to explore a deeper connection to what is called ‘American’ foods by understanding true Native-American histories, and begin using what grows naturally around us, and support Native-American growers. There is no need to make Thanksgiving about a false past. It is so much better when it celebrates the beauty of the present.”

This inspired me to look further into including Native American cuisine in our home.

Gathering with friends and expressing our gratitude for the connection we share with one another is the most consistent and central aspect of how we spend Thanksgiving. Gratitude is one of the four elements of the Choose Love formula. Having a daily practice of gratitude can be a way to create some powerful changes in your life. This practice has helped me to see times when I can choose a different way of looking at a situation. For example, using gratitude helps bring meaning to doing routine chores in my home. As I cleaned out my messy pantry at the weekend I was able to switch to gratitude by listening to a wonderful audiobook. I realized that this chore was an opportunity to enjoy my book and provide a benefit to my home at the same time. Take a look at the Choose Love Gratitude calendar for some more inspiration.

I am grateful to all of you who read my blogs and have supported me over many years.