May love and light enter all your hearts and souls as we venture into this Thanksgiving week.   So much of our world has been consumed with rhetoric of hateful people who should be leading with kindness and love.  The wildfires within my beautiful state continue to rage and render peoples lives to the same ash as the raging flames have done to the forests.  Conflicts overseas and the plight of the poor migrants hoping to make a better life within this country continues to remain a focal point and places so many souls into a state of uncertainty and panic.  So much negativity exists.

Even as the dark clouds of fires and turbulence clouds the collective consciousness of the world around, we have the chance and obligation to be thankful for what we have.  So many of us will have loved ones in the form of friends and family gathered around tables in warm homes, with carefully prepared meals for all to share.  The insignificance of most of our troubles should fade when we sit quietly, and remember those who are less fortunate than us.   

A favorite quote of mine from a favorite book of mine, reads as follows, "The road must be trod, but it will be very hard. And neither strength nor wisdom will carry us far upon it. This quest may be attempted by the weak with as much hope as the strong. Yet it is oft the course of deeds that move the wheels of the world: Small hands do them because they must, while the eyes of the great are elsewhere." - J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring

That quote exemplifies the course of all lives and how humility and thankfulness should be present in every step and deed.  To give back to the communities who are most in need and to help those who may not be able to help themselves.  Being involved by giving to local food banks, volunteering at homeless shelters, organizing clothing drives or whatever else helps those folks afflicted by tragedy or misfortune.  So many times, the hands of fate swing into our favor as we trod through daily lives.  So much must we be thankful for.  So many things we owe back to others not as fortunate as ourselves.  A Mitzvah, of sorts.

As I draft my thoughts on thankfulness, two months has elapsed since my friends and I trekked up Mount Whitney, I turn my thoughts to my own fortune to be able to experience such a magnificent and magnanimous place. To share fellowship with three other humans I love and care for, while journeying to a place which held different meaning for each of us, is the epitome of my thankfulness for this 2018 year.  We were all blessed with careers that enabled us to take time off work, with families who supported our goal of successfully summiting and endured the hours we spent preparing for it, and for each other on the trail.  To lean on each other when our mental and physical being were pushed close to the brink of giving up.  For all that, I am thankful.

I am a very emotional person.  I see and feel others (human or animal) and it affects me deeply. There is a man, who begs by the side of the freeway near my office.  Everyday I pass him, and everyday, my heart breaks for him.  I want to know his story.  I want to understand his plight.  I want to help him, and yet, I feel helpless.  I give him a few dollars now and then, and sometimes, ask him to have a cup of coffee with me at the Starbucks just down the road.  We talk about philosophy (he tells me he studied it in college prior to addiction led him to drop out) and nature.  We talk about Plato, Aristotle and the musings of Maya Angelou. 

He is a beautiful man.  He won't admit his age, but I am certain he has walked this earth for at least five decades.  He is wise, but erratic.  Quirky but kind.  He loves scones with chocolate and dark roast coffee.  He is a man, like me and so many others.  We are souls living a human existence.

We are all souls, searching for love, light and purpose.  We experience happiness and sorrow.  We fall in love and we lose those we love at some point.  We find peace in the hallowed halls of libraries, churches, temples and sacred mountains and forests.  We have shoes on our feet, clothing on our backs and meals within reach.  We must be thankful.  

Thoughts enter and exit my head with rapidity during this post, and yet, I am okay with it.  Maybe it makes sense to you as you read it, maybe not.  I hope it causes you to reflect and be grateful for what you have.  I hope that maybe, you will do something with a kind heart for someone or something that needs assistance.  I hope you do it of your own freewill and see the light it brings to you.  

As Thursday morning dawns this week, and you reach for that glass of Cabernet, mimosa or Bloody Mary and flip on the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, I hope you stop for a moment, look around, and truly see how thankful you should be.  No matter what struggle you are going through or what challenge you may be facing, there is always a reason to be thankful.  I wish you all, the happiest of Thanksgivings and I hope you consider reaching out to another soul who may be in need of a meal, blanket or simple embrace.  I send to you, each, the love, light and peace of our universe and hope that blessings are bestowed upon you all.

"Leave nothing but footprints, take nothing but pictures, kill nothing but time..."

Namaste, friends.