Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving dinner traditionally usually consists of turkey, but I have left it off my plate for two years. But, we can all start new traditions along with the old.

Today is Thanksgiving Day in Canada. Many people celebrate over the weekend, and for most people, the Monday is a holiday. I visited my dad and his wife, and my brother, my aunt and uncle also. We all had dinner at a Greek restaurant on the Saturday evening after a short visit at the cemetery where my mum is rested.The cemetery is a little on the outskirts of town down a long two lane country road, that leads to the freeway. One our way to the cemetery we saw a fire truck and a volunteer fire truck pass by us. We continued on our way to the cemetery, laid silk flowers and paid our respects to my mum. On our way back to my dad’s house, we took a different way to get onto the freeway to shorten our travel time. However, the entrance to the freeway was blocked by emergency vehicles and everyone had to turn around and go a different way. There was a minivan burned and smashed from an accident, but we couldn’t see the other vehicle that may have hit it.

It was a sad sight to see and to think that on this holiday weekend, there are many traffic accidents. We don’t know if any was hurt or killed from that accident we saw, but it made me think of impermanence once again. My husband said he thought that could have been us in that accident if my brother hadn’t left 20 minutes later when he came to pick us up to go to the cemetery. If we were 20 minutes earlier that may have been us.

After just visiting a cemetery and then seeing that someone was in an accident just a short while away from the cemetery and not too far from my dad’s house, shows that impermanence and uncertainty are very near.

Today I meditated on what I am thankful for:

–          A home

–          My family

–          My husband

–          My pug, cats and rabbit

–          My job

–          My car

–          Food when I am hungry and drink when I am thirsty

–          My relative good health

Reflecting that if our needs are met, then anything else we want is excess. It is OK to want things, but to think that excessive things fulfill our desires, will only leave us wanting more. If we are thankful for what we have, rather than wanting what we don’t have, we can maybe find some happiness and joy with what we have, rather than sadness in what we don’t have.

Whatever day it is near you, let’s be thankful.

Happy Thanksgiving from the Pug!