The seed of inspiration for this blog was planted when I arrived at the doors of Trader Joe’s, ready to shop for my Thanksgiving weekend and beat the last minute shoppers; only to discover that there remained eight minutes until opening time. There were poinsettias outside ready for sale, welcoming the upcoming holiday season. I took out my trusty phone camera and started shooting. Then my mind was on a roll.

The holiday season is upon us for another year. Despite what we are about, whether we are ready or not; it creeps around all too quickly. It just seems like the other day it was Thanksgiving 2018.

Being Australian by birth, I did not grow up with the tradition of Thanksgiving as it is celebrated in America. I associated the word “Thanksgiving” with our local church where yearly a special service designated as “Thanksgiving Sunday” encouraged us to give thanks for the bounty of the produce we reaped from the world. Interestingly enough, the pilgrims did not set foot on Australian shores. The story of settling Australia has similarities and differences to the American colonization; which could be a long series of books investigating and debating what actually happened while trying to reach a state of empathy for all parties involved.

Having lived in America for nearly 20 years, I have been immersed in the tradition of the American “Thanksgiving”. My family and I have been invited to many an open table to enjoy the mouth watering flavors of the season and to overfill our bellies. We have paused before eating, to hold hands and give thanks for the bounty; and to share verbally in turn what we have to be thankful for. As a preschool teacher I have read countless stories espousing what I perceive as the true spirit of Thanksgiving, being one of “gratitude”. As well I have shared many fun stories about the turkey escaping. I have danced like a kernel of corn popping. I have gobbled like a turkey. I have organized experiences exploring corn and pumpkins and pomegranates and feathers and …

Here I am in 2019 wanting to send thoughts of gratitude to all my friends and family wherever you are. I am so thankful for all of your love, your support, your understanding, your questioning , your interest, your blessings, your acceptance, your friendship… for just being you and being in my life in the past, in the now, and in the future.

I present to you a gift this year of some of my photos , my connections with mother nature. I hope that as you gaze and meditate upon them that they will enable you a moment or two to focus and be centered. If we are going to be strong and face the challenges that are before us, we need to be strong in ourselves, with an invincible armor of knowing what we want and where we are going.

BE CENTERED!

Thank you for being my friend. Thank you for being in my life.

“If you want to change what’s going on around you change what is going on within you.” – Billy Cox

Closing Thoughts:

I realized as I gathered the photos that there could be a center, but it wasn’t always necessarily in the center. It is normal and permissible to wander from the middle at times , from focus. As needed along the journey, we are drawn back to the epicenter to re-group in order to move forward.

Centers can be intricate and complex, or simple and unsophisticated. Each is unique, to the individual.

What is at your center as you enter this holiday season?