Harvest Festival

Lesley's Blog

Having come from Britain, the American celebration of Thanksgiving still doesn't quite resonate for me. My ancesters did not buck the system apparently and stayed put.

However, as a child, I remember that in the Autumn the Harvest Festival was celebrated and we gave thanks. The church was decorated with beautiful vegetables and luscious fruits, the very best of the final produce of the harvest. Delicious homemade chutneys and jams and late flowering plants added to the splendor of the display.  

We gave thanks for the abundance of the earth which had provided us with bountiful sustenance and prayed for the harvest in the coming year. I suspect that not everyone, on any given year, was quite on the same page regarding the degree of bountifulness but nonetheless we all acknowledged the miracle of the blessing of food and water from the earth. It was a joyful time but turkey and pumpkin pie were not part of the agenda.

As we give thanks this year for our lives, the lives of our loved ones and the gifts we have received throughout the year, maybe we can also add prayers for the earth. Whether or not you consider global climate changes a belief or a scientific reality, it is clear that humans have had impacts on this beautiful and vulnerable planet we call home, that have produced significant changes, mostly not for the better. According to most scientific research the changes are occuring at a greater pace than originally predicted.

If you are anything like me, I find myself oscillating between despair and denial. I want to do something but often have no idea what to do and where to start. Sometimes, for example when I read about the amazing projects that the Nature Conservancy are involved in, I feel a modicum of hope. So, maybe we can all open our hearts, this Thanksgiving, to how each of us can do our little bit to bring some healing to our precious earth. We owe it to the earth, to ourselves and our children and grandchildren need us to leave for them a better place to live and thrive.   



  

THANKFULNESS

ERIC'S BLOG

Thankfulness

 

Being thankful

For the beauty of the flowers

For the roof over my head

For the food on the table

For the dogs wagging their tails

Helps me enjoy the world

 

Saying "thank you" to you

For the laundry you do

For the meals you prepare

For the way you listen

For all the ways you support me

Helps me appreciate you

 

Being thankful and saying "thank you"

Bonds us in joy.

 

 

I wrote this about a year ago and many of you will have received it then but it has not been an official part of our blog. Being thankful is a special part of Thanksgiving but it is also a special part of our daily lives. When we recognize beauty or support from others we acknowledge joy for ourselves and give appreciation to others. By simply saying "thank you" we magnify our joy.

Money

MONEY

 

How much

Is good enough

 

How much

Do I really need

 

I've been saving

A good part of my life

Now I can spend

 

How much money

is good enough to

Spend and to save

 

 

I have developed a habit of saving money a good part of my life. It has been beneficial. Cars, house and all of my "things" are paid for and there is enough  for my retirement years.

 

However, when it comes to spending "savings" I often feel I am doing something "wrong". It goes against the habit I have evolved for many years. It is time for a new habit but it is hard to establish it.

 

Recently in a counseling session I worked with an older couple who were trying to decide whether they could afford to make a significant purchase for their garden. They had been saving almost 50 years together and accummulated plenty of money for their retirement years. But spending money was simply not a habit for them. Clearly they had money to spend but now were handicapped by their habit of always putting money away. It was clear to me and them that they needed a new habit and I believe I do too.

 

In contrast, some people have the opposite habit of spending and not saving. They too need to develop new habits in order to manage their financial lives effectively. It is all about balance.  

Fireflies

Lesley's Blog

On a summer night this year I watched the fireflies in the backyard. There were just a few of them flashing points of light, seemingly at random.

At this phase of my life I am once again struggling to find my spiritual path, longing for more "meaning" in my life - whatever that means! I would love it if the Divine Energy would join the computer age and send me a detailed e-mail explaining the missions that I still need to complete and how to go about doing that. But I would settle for some "writing on the wall" in conjunction with a huge search light showing me the exact direction I am to "walk".

It seems though that the help I get is more like the fireflies - a little flash here and a little flash there. Points of light let me know that I am not alone and watching the fireflies reminds that our path is not a straight line. Sometimes the fireflies do not visit my back yard and yet I know that they are still somewhere. They have not disappeared. And so it is with guidance. It is never as complete or definitive as we would like, it comes in flashes and then so often seems to disappear. But faith lets us know that it will return to reassure and lead us once again. I give thanks for that.

So I will do my best to be patient, to follow the flashes leading the way, and to have faith that the light will always be there but maybe not on my timetable.