Thanksgiving

I'm from Ireland where Thanksgiving is not celebrated which is a surprise to some people here.
I don't know why it surprises people unless they have momentarily forgotten that it was celebrated by the Plymouth pilgrims and the natives who helped them survive their first winter in the New World in 1621. It became an official holiday in 1863, when, during the civil war, President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a national day of "Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens", to be celebrated on the last Thursday in November.
I have a special relationship with Thanksgiving despite not growing up here, because it was the day I arrived in the US. Of course I had no idea that was the case then but over the years as I celebrate my anniversary as an Irish American I like to give thanks for the experiences that my journey has given me.
I try not to dwell on all that I left behind because I left so much. Every decision we make has a positive and a negative. Every decision we make adds something to our lives. Whether we deem the decision good or bad we still gain. 

I have gained very dear friends. I have gained amazing work experiences and financial rewards that allowed me to travel the world and see things I could not have imagined, from the top of Kilimanjaro to the depths of Death Valley and so much more. I have gained a life partner whom I deeply love. I have gained a spiritual philosophy that transformed my life and showed me my own power to choose what I think and how I act. I have gained more than I can say in this small piece of writing, I gained a life that is good and full and in which I can visit my home and family in Ireland regularly, and I am deeply grateful for that.

I have gained an official holiday to give thanks. I am grateful.
What are you thankful for this thanksgiving? Remember the words of Shakespeare,
 ... there is nothing either good or
bad, but thinking makes it so.

New Year, Old You?

Its a new year today or so we are told. The old calendar is no use. We have to get a brand new one, it feels like a chance for a fresh start.
And it can be an opportunity to reassess the state of our lives, relationships, careers and implement changes, set new goals and adjust our sails, if we are willing to change our thinking, our actions and consciously create something new.

“You cannot solve a problem from the same consciousness that created it. You must learn to see the world anew.” Albert Einstein

"Learning to see the world anew," - that means the world does not change but we who looks on it change our perceptions, our consciousness. Only you know what shifts you need to make in your own thinking.

For me as I assess my own circumstances I have decided I need to simply be more conscious of how I use my time and energy, my greatest resources. I have a tendency to set goals and ignore opportunities to follow through on implementing the steps toward that goal. Negative thinking and fear are two major impediments to pursuing my goals. So seeing the world anew for me means really evaluating the truth of the doubts and fears I become conscious of as I allow myself in the moment to be mesmerized by the worlds distractions.  If I want to create a new experience in 2013, my way of seeing the world anew is being in integrity with myself, becoming more conscious of how I spend my time and energy and creating a new consciousness with which to see my world.
How will you see the world anew and create a Happy New Year?
For inspirational stories from others who look to a higher power for support in change see www.SpiritIsTalkingToYou.com