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| Art Every Day Month ~Day 26 |
A Time to Be Thankful... for the sacrifices of many others who gave us this day...
And to celebrate Life Every Day as a tribute to that sacrifice.
Although it began with mini glimpses and small sparkling flickers of remembering over the years culminating in an open window of attraction to the mullein plant in Autumn of last year; I have to say that my full awakening to the wild abundance around me happened in 2015. To achieve balanced wellness, I am learning to apply this ancient wisdom in my modern life. For that, I am thankful.
Last night I prepared a new all natural hair color treatment made of black walnut husk powder ground from walnuts found about an hour from my home and black night shade berries found in my own back yard. Today, I am making elderberry syrup from wild elderberries I found on a nature walk in September and Wild Rosehips that I picked in October. As I type this, I am drinking dried mullein leaf tea to help with my spinal nerve pain. For some other health issues; yesterday, I made Evening Primrose Root Fritters from fresh roots harvested from my frosted garden and Evening Primrose tea made with the dried flowers I harvested this summer.
I am thankful for these wonderful five years with my awesome Grandson. Every day that I have with him is a blessing which reminds me of the better person I want to be...
I am thankful that the year I fell in love with my Grandson, I also opened my heart to the love of a wonderful man who continues to keep an open mind and an open heart of his own as we stand side-by-side to face each day as it comes.
With all of the ups and downs thrown at us over the years, I am thankful that my children are making their own way in the world. Tempered with love, joy, pain, frustration, failure, and success; they are each walking the path they have defined for themselves.
At times like this, I recall with much gratitude the tremendous encouragement and support I received from my older sister as I pursued my own creative path as a single parent. I am pretty sure things would have turned out quite differently if she had not been so generous, forgiving, and loving during those challenging years.
I am thankful to my parents (all three of them) for showing me what love is supposed to look like.
I am thankful for fond childhood memories of my extended family and the friends, far and wide, who still remember who I am despite the transient nature of my childhood.
The oral history of my mother's family always lead me to believe that my heritage included the Iriquois Nation of Indians. However, in searching our family tree, there is no actual written documentation of that origin. I have reason to believe that at the time in question it was not safe for my Grandfather's Mother, or her parents, to allow this to be noted in writing anywhere. But perhaps the oral history was wrong. Again, I have little proof and the people who could explain the situation to me have passed on to other places.
Suffice it to say, for whatever reason-a part of me feels a pull toward the lost culture, the history, and the meaning that this day has regarding the losses and the lack of knowledge about my own personal connection to it ...or not...as the case may be.
RELATED LINKS:
Why Thanksgiving is a Day of Mourning for Some Americans ~ Huffington Post
