“All shall be well, and all shall be well and all manner of thing shall be well.” -Julian of Norwich

In this we surrender and trust.

During Thanksgiving weekend we have the opportunity to pause amid the weaving's of our days to really notice, offer a generous presence and open to the fullness of experience.  

The frenetic energy of incessant thinking can distract us from what is here. It helps to pay attention to our patterned thoughts and our filters that alter our seeing. The stories we tell ourselves, in response to situations, are more a reflection of our internal world. If we let all the drama fall away we are left sitting with our emotions. Unpleasant emotions are the ones we prefer to deny or discard. A better choice is to acknowledge rather than reject, be curious rather than fearful, open up space for and meet with kindness.  If we are patient with our listening and in keeping company with, we come to understand the deepest truth of our being; yours and mine. All that remains is Love, an ocean of Love.

Personally, there are times when my clouded thinking can whirl up a storm. Yet, a simple pause to STOP, return to the present and ask, “What about right now in this moment?” As I gaze around, I begin notice; the cozy warmth and glow of fireplace embers,  peace in this quiet morning, birds cawing greetings while passing overhead, grandfather clock chiming the hour with no appointments to keep, sun streaming shimmering patterns on the wall, and a knowing that all is well.

Yesterday many of us gathered together in celebration of countless blessings. We remember and we send love to many who could not be together. Living in awareness of the precious, yet fleeting nature of life, we give up any complacency of taking for granted. Instead, we recognize the pleasure we receive in the little gifts of service we offer one another, wholeheartedly.

The Pleasure of Serving
by Gabriela Mistral

All of nature is a yearning for service:
The cloud serves, and the wind, and the furrow.

Where there is a tree to plant, you be the one.
Where there is a mistake to undo, let it be you.

You be the one to remove the rock from the field,
The hate from human hearts,
And the difficulties from the problem.

There is joy in being wise and just,
But above all there is the beautiful,
The immense happiness of serving.

How sad the world would be if all was already done.
If there was no rosebush to plant,
No enterprise to undertake.

Do not limit yourself to easy tasks.
It's so beautiful to do what others dodge.

But don't fall prey to the error that only
Great tasks done can be counted as accomplishments.
There are small acts of service that are good ones:
Decoratively setting a table,
Putting some books in order,
Combing a little girl's hair.
That one over there is the one that criticizes,
This other one is the one that destroys.
You be the one that serves.

Serving is not a labor just for inferior beings.
God, who gives fruit and light, serves.
His name could be rendered thus: He Who Serves.

And he has his eyes on our hands,
And he asks us at the close of day:
"Did you render service today? To whom?
To a tree, to your friend, to your mother?"

Chilean poet Gabriela Mistral won the 1945 Nobel Prize for Literature.

From my heart to yours  with gratitude,

Liz Sorensen Wessel

Mandala by ~liz