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Heartwings Love Notes 1009 - Living with Thanksgiving

Heartwings says, "Gratitude is vital to a happy life."

The celebration of gratitude called Thanksgiving has been a part of humanity since before recorded history. Harvest festivals were held in agricultural communities when the last crops were gathered in, and reverence in the form of offerings was given to whichever deity was worshiped for having helped with the growth of the crops.

People would gather to perform songs, dances, and other rituals to celebrate the harvest and pay homage to their deities. They believed that while they might plant and tend, they could not control the potential for disease, drought, bad weather, or other disasters. This was the province of the deity. These ceremonies were held to ensure good fortune would continue.

Our Thanksgiving, as every child learns, originated with the Pilgrims who had left England to avoid being persecuted for their Protestant faith. When it came to giving credit for their survival, the religious element remained strong: the worship of their Christian God as the source of the harvest bounty. His power and good will was invoked as a way of acknowledging their need for his good graces.

However originally, and logically, the deity worshiped by the more primitive peoples was feminine—a goddess by whatever name she was called. Offerings of the first fruits, or the last, were common as part of the celebrations. There were even a few different tribes that sacrificed a young girl as part of their harvest ritual.

An offering to acknowledge gratitude has been a common practice all the world over. Spilling a few drops of newly poured wine could be said to be similar to our saying grace at the beginning of a meal. Being thankful for my food at every meal is a good way to remind myself to be thankful throughout the day for whatever blessings I may receive. However, daily gratitude need not be confined to consuming food and drink.

When I step into my hot shower, I give thanks. When I slide into my comfortable bed, I do so again. A nice sunny day is another occasion for thanks. I have been and will again be grateful for some circumstances which might at first glance seem nothing for which to say thanks. These may at the time have seemed something to regret, yet turned out to be helpful or useful lessons. This Thanksgiving as always, I will think about all that I am grateful for, and the day after it I will continue to do so.

May you find much to rejoice over, and for which to be grateful.

Blessings and Best Regards, Tasha Halpert

Do you have special circumstances for which to be grateful? If you would like to share them with me, I would be grateful to you! Your correspondence, dear reader, warms my heart and feeds my soul. Thanks in advance for writing to me at tashahal@aol.com and do visit my web pages at www.heartwingsandfriends.com

Got any easy recipes to share? Food stories to tell? I so appreciate your comments and thoughts. Please write to me at tashahal@aol.com, and for more love notes, check out www.heartwingsandfriends.com. Thanks!
 

I love to hear from readers and would be honored if you would comment and let me know any suggestions or thoughts. If a friend sent you this, you can sign up at my web site, www.heartwingslovenotes.com, where more love notes can be found in the archives.

Blessings and Best Regards,
Tasha Halpert
 

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