Nov 26, 2020
On This Thanksgiving 2020
Blessings and giving thanks, are more crucial than ever
What better topic could there possibly be to write about on today other than the holiday of Thanksgiving. Afterall, that is today’s holiday, and it is one of the most major holidays that we celebrate here in America. It is one of my favorite times of the year, as it kicks off the holiday season; specifically, Christmas. It marks what is traditionally a wonderful time of year, with all the meaning that it is supposed to represent. And even as many people may look upon this holiday season as dark and gloomy because of covid-19, I myself don’t look at it like that. Instead I believe that the horrors of this year’s pandemic should make the philosophy of Thanksgiving, all the more important and meaningful.
I am reminded more than ever to practice my skills and education in mindfulness, and there couldn’t be a better time to do it than now. It may seem quite cliche, but I do, believe in giving thanks on Thanksgiving, and being present and aware of the blessing that my life has today. Just because there is a pandemic going on, doesn’t mean that I have to dwell on everything that is terrible in this world right now. If anything, there is more focus than ever before on the fact that those who are blessed and healthy, should most certainly give thanks, and use this holiday for what it’s intention really is.
I may not be with a large crowd of people on this Thanksgiving, however I don’t even know why I would want to be. Those people in our lives that are real, and supportive, are quite likely not in large numbers. It seems like the blatant truth is, that the more legitimate loved ones are in our lives, the better the chances that those groups come in small numbers. And I have no problem with that. Large groups of “friends” no longer interest me. I am here today celebrating this holiday with three of my immediate family members. All of which are healthy, and doing well in life.
If you are healthy right now, you are blessed. We are at one of the toughest times ever right now, and if you are able to wake up each day, healthy, and you can casually surf the internet and read articles freely and easily like this one you’re reading right now, than you really should give thanks.
I give thanks for my real loved ones, my health, and I am especially grateful for these past three years of sobriety. It isn’t the longest I have ever been sober at one time, however it is by far the very best sobriety, I have ever lived.
This time around I became more educated than ever before, on my life of addiction, and my life of sobriety. And it has been an era of soul searching and digging deep, that I have never experienced before.
I am at a level of recovery that I never thought I could experience. So today, Thanksgiving gives me the reminder that I should practice mindfulness, and reflect on the blessing in life that I am experiencing right now, day by day. A life of living one day at a time, has offered me the chance to live a life, brand new, and happier, than I’ve been in a very long time.
So today and everyday, give thanks for the blessings that life is offering. I promise you, that no matter how tough life may seem, there is likely a silver lining somewhere, even if it’s really hidden. For those places in the world, where today is not a holiday of Thanksgiving, that doesn’t mean that you can’t meditate on blessings that are in your hands, and in your hearts.
May God bless you.
By MICHAEL PATANELLA
