Happy Autumn and Happy Thanksgiving. I wrote this Blog some years ago however it is so appropriate at this time. I am resending it because I am in an intense period of CHANGE that is taking up every hour of every day of my life. This Change though expected in everyone’s life, when it comes is often unexpected. I am fully engaged in this Change and am savouring every precious moment. It is profound and a great teacher of selfless love. I know I will be wiser, more compassionate and stronger than ever before when this intense Tide of Change becomes a serene ocean of beautiful memories.
Love and Peace to all.
Namaste Sharon
Autumn a time for Change and Gratitude
Autumn is the season of change. As I welcome autumn and as Thanksgiving approaches, I am again reminded of all that I have to be grateful for. I am grateful for me, myself in all my perfections and imperfections. That is what makes me unique just like each one of you is so unique. I hope as you read this you tell yourself how wonderful and unique you are and say how grateful you are for you!
I am blessed to live in a society and culture where there is so much to support a happy and fulfilling lifestyle. One of the things in my life I am always grateful for is my soft clean beautiful bed and the clean soft sheets, my pillows and yes the pillowcases that cradle my head when I fall off to sleep. Each night as I snuggle down to sleep I feel so much gratitude for my bed as I bless the day just ended. It is often the first thank you that comes from my heart as my body prepares to end the day in its warmth and welcoming folds. That may not seem like a big deal to many people, however to me along with a roof to keep out the rain and the elements it is one of the many, many things I am very grateful for in my life.
I am so happy that this deep gratitude proceeded a conversation I had last year with a group of seniors in the Senior Centre in Newmarket where I attend a Zumba class. I saw a group of ladies working with a huge collection of plastic milk bags that we all throw in the garbage. There were bags everywhere, and what seemed like junk to me soon became something more amazing than mere words can convey. These ladies were cutting these bags, preparing them to weave on a giant loom they were working on. Fascinated I went to take a look and was shown how they weave the plastic into sleeping mats for women in third world countries and this lot was destined for Haiti. They also made bags for the women and what was so incredible, both the mats and the bags were waterproof. YES! Those useless milk bags that we disposed of in the garbage were being fashioned into the most colourful and thoughtful of gifts for those who lacked the mere necessities of life. Imagine how happy and grateful those Haitian women were at receiving beautiful plastic mats to sleep on that prevented water from leaking through as they slept on the floor of their mud huts and a waterproof bag to hold their belongings.
There are countless more things in my life that I am grateful for including my wonderful supportive family that I am blessed with, my husband and our 3 very wise sons, their partners and our forever 3 grandchildren whose knowledge of computers and the latest technology help me to keep up with the rest of the world : ).
There is much gratitude in my heart for the years I have lived on this beautiful earth. As a late bloomer, I know that In order to blossom and grow towards my full potential it takes work. Most of all it takes change. Scary and Necessary…Yes ..Very!
For me, autumn is all about Change and Gratitude and both promotes growth. It’s a time to rid myself of all that no longer serves me. It means taking stock of all areas of my life physical, emotional, mental, professional and other areas that need attention in order for new growth to flourish. It means joyously releasing all that will no longer be needed in the next season(s) of my life and trusting the path I have chosen to be for my highest and best.
As one of my favourite poets, Patience Strong wrote: “The best is never over, the best is yet to be.”
What are you most grateful for and what best changes are you looking forward to in the next season of your life? I would love to hear from you.
Namaste,
Sharon
Some years after this was written, I lost my husband. A major life Change. He was my high school boyfriend who later became my husband and the “ Wind beneath my Wings.”