Cold Hands, Warmed Heart - Thanksgiving 2014

Sitting in my little home, walking trails, far from the humans I love, close to land that I love, lots of thoughts swirl (I've never been a head(phone) full of music person). With this American holiday, conflicted in truth and lore, I tend to go with the pure thanks of it, sort of a super day of thanks because being grateful is pretty easy for me, most of the time.

When I say I am freezing cold, I'm not.
When I say I'm starving, I'm not.
When I say I have nothing to wear, I do.
When I say I am broke, though I've been plenty broke, I really am not, not in the street, in a shelter broke.
When I say I'm hurting, it might be true, but not that forever, deep, unhealing hurting. Not that.

I have all of my fingers and toes and eyes and hands and feet and legs and arms. And even with one exception, they are all functioning pretty well.

While some find loneliness a problem on the holidays, that's not an issue for me. I have the love of my children and grandchildren, the love of my friends and usually, the love of my cat. If all of them are not in touching distance, the roots of love connect us firmly, despite the tides and storms. I am beyond any words of thankful.

There is whimsy and laughter and sunshine and music and endless, endless beauty. To not be thankful would be an insult in this little speck of time we have life, and for most of us, so much of it.  So if you are inclined to share the most basic of wealth in your own community, here is one way to connect and act. No one should be hungry in America, today or any day, no matter your stripe of religion or politics, we are all humans. That's all I want to say about that.

On Culebra, I know turkeys are cooking and veggies and potatoes and other starchy things are being prepared. Pork is roasting or grilling and somewhere coquito is aging for the next round of holidays. And people are dressed in shorts and t-shirts instead of sweats and socks and a heat source roaring.

One of many 'family' Thanksgiving meals on Culebra

Take a little walk of thanks today. With family or friends or both, or by yourself. It's a good thing to do.

Happy Givingthanks Day!