Thanksgiving

Don Henley wrote a song  called My Thanksgiving. It is about finding gratitude in everyday,
and learning how to give love and how to receive it. 

Well, a lot of things have happened
Since the last time we spoke
Some of them are funny
Some of them ain't no joke

And I trust you will forgive me
If I lay it on the line
I always thought you were a friend of mine

And sometimes I think about you
I wonder how you're doing, now
And what you're going through

'Cause the last time I saw you, we were playing with fire
We were loaded with passion and a burning desire
For every breath, for every day of living
And this is my thanksgiving

Now, the trouble with you and me, my friend
Is the trouble with this nation
Too many blessings, too little appreciation

And I know that kind of notion, well, it just ain't cool
So send me back to Sunday school
Because I'm tired of waiting for reason to arrive
And it's too long we've been living these unexamined lives

'Cause I've got great expectations, I've got family and friends
I've got satisfying work, I've got a back that bends
For every breath, for every day of living
This is my thanksgiving

And have you noticed that an angry man
Can only get so far?
Until he reconciles the way he thinks things ought to be
With the way things are

Here in this fragmented world, I still believe
In learning how to give love, how to receive it
And I would not be among those who abuse this privilege
Sometimes you get the best light from a burning bridge

And I don't mind saying that I, I still love it all
I wallowed in the springtime
Now, I'm welcoming the fall

For every moment of joy, every hour of fear
For every winding road that brought me here
For every breath, for every day of living
This is my thanksgiving

For everyone who helped me start
And for everything that broke my heart
For every breath, for every day of living
This is my Thanksgiving

Gratefulness comes with every breath. The Japanese have a special word for it called Naikan. It  means "self-reflection". This form of meditation on the duality of life: : good-bad, bitter-sweet, right-wrong - requires intropection to accept one's life.
   The practice of Naikan is a form of mental psychotherapy that helps a person resolve emotional conflict and anxiety.

What  are  you grateful for this Thanksgiving? Listen to Billy Collins read the poem The Lanyard.
It leaves no doubt about his gratefulness to his mother for... well, just about everything.