The "Unthankables"

Thanksgiving is a transitional time of year.  Here in the Northeastern United States, the leaves have fallen and we are cleaning up as we await the coming of winter.  We are beginning to think about the holiday season, the giving of gifts, the upcoming sales, and hopefully we are thinking about what we are thankful for. 
     From the time we are very young, we are reminded every year at this time to remember to be thankful.  Most of us, when sitting around that
table full of good food to feast on, take a moment to mention those things for which we feel grateful.   
We tend to keep it simple; thank you for our health, our family and our prosperity.  Yet, many of us,
although we are truly thankful for those things, feel like we are sometimes living a thankless life.  How many of us go about our days wishing that our boss, our colleagues, our customers, our children, our spouses, would acknowledge our hard work once in a while? We might keep that in mind next time we
are looking for something to be thankful for other than our health, family, and prosperity.  Today we might want to thank somebody who may not have gotten the appreciation they deserve.  I call them the “Unthankables”.  People that we don’t even think to acknowledge although they deserve every bit of thanks; the kid who bagged our groceries, our child’s teacher, the musicians who inspired us at our place of worship, or people behind the scenes at work such as the custodians, cafeteria staff, or tech people.  I’m sure you can think of many more.    
    Then there are those other worldly beings or entities that we neglect to include in our list of thank yous.  In Native American tradition, people acknowledge the four directions, North, South, East, West.  They take what’s called a Wotai stone (one that is precious or has meaning), and offers it to each direction, usually in a beseeching way. 
 I would like to instead make an offer of thanks to the four directions; the East for it’s beautiful
sunrise and firey red sky; the West for the roaring winds that it’s sending today to bring down the last of the leaves and also for the rain it brings to
cleanse and refresh the earth; the South for it’s warm air and bright sun that fills us with joy; and the North for the coming of the cool, peaceful,
brilliant, white snow that will fill us with healing light and settle us snugly into our home for a restful, quiet winter.   I also offer gratitude to our
Mother Earth for her nourishment and beauty, and Father Sky for the stars and planets that, as we gaze out, force us to wander in and out of our dreams way beyond ourselves.  I also thank my
spirit guides for guiding me through this life and helping me to always choose the right path.  
     Sending feelings of gratitude out to those we love, those we don’t know or see, and just to the Universe itself, can bring forth results that are quick
and beneficial to our health and spiritual growth. 
       Now I wish to thank you for taking the time to read this!  Happy Thanksgiving!