A Closer Look at Thanksgiving
By Joyce Rupp
Takend from "The Circle of Life" Book

If you look at a sunset, you might see only the disappearance of daylight.  If you look beneath, you may see darkness opening the splendor of stars.  If you look at illness and disease, you might see only physical diminishment.  If you look beneath, you may see it as a teacher bringing you vital wisdom.  If you look at a broken relationship, you might see only a harsh ending.  If you look beneath, you may see the courageous seeds of new growth.  If you look at lost dreams, you might see only disappointment and doubt.  If you look beneath, you may see the stuff that new dreams contain.  If you look at the death of a loved one, you might see only pervasive sorrow.  If you look beneath, you may see that love lives on forever in the heart.  If you look at the planet’s pain and creatures’ woe, you might see only despair.  If you look beneath, you may see hope woven in the compassionate care of many.  If you look at yourself, you might see only tarnished unfinishedness.  If you look beneath, you may see your basic goodness shining there.  If you look for the divine being, you might see mostly unresolved questions.  If you look beneath, you may be astounded at the availability of divine love.  Thanksgiving is a time to look beneath our external lives for the unwavering love, the ceaseless peace, and the enduring strength that lie in the deep waters of our soul. The more we trust the “unknowable depths” of our existence, the more the power of gratitude becomes a song we daily sing. With what do you struggle today? What might lie beneath that struggle for which you can give thanks?