It’s November! It’s the month to enjoy the beauty of nature’s kaleidoscope of colors, rake leaves, stuff ourselves with a great Thanksgiving meal with our families and friends and to be grateful.

But why should we only be thankful for the many blessings in our lives just on the holiday? Why aren’t we thankful, or grateful, all the time?

We all live busy, complex lives. We all get so tired sometimes. We all begin to take some things for granted. Things like the love we feel from those we hold dear; the glorious sky; the purr of a kitten and playfulness of a puppy; the conversations we have with friends and family each day; our health; the fact that we are alive. It’s easy to take some things for granted and we do it all the time.

Far too often we don’t fully appreciate what we have until we no longer have it. Our health is an obvious one. But what about the other joys in our lives? For example, what about our parents and others that we love. Do we speak to them or see them as often as we could or should? Do we let them know how much they mean to us?

What about the bank teller or the grocery clerk who make us smile? Do we stop to think about and appreciate them? How about the breeze that rustles our hair? Do we take the moment to enjoy that?

Gratitude is something we here at Great Conjunction Spiritual Center try to live every day. Of course it’s not easy, we’re human, we’re busy, we fail at times. But we do try. And we each of us can try just a little bit harder to be grateful for all the wonders, large and tiny, in our lives.

There’s not room enough, nor time enough, for me to share all the things for which I am truly grateful, plus I don’t want to bore you. But here are just a few:

I am grateful that I have a window in office bringing in the light to my beautiful plants. I am grateful for my dog, Helo, curled up at my feet as I write this. I am grateful for my amazing business partner, friend, supporter and husband. I am grateful that when I get up in the mornings, there’s a hot cup of tea waiting for me along with a smile and a hug. I am grateful for the opportunity to do the work that I do. I am grateful for each and every one of you; without whom I could not do these things.

Thank you very, very much.

So let’s try experience that thankfulness not just in November or on Thanksgiving Day, but every month and every day.

Gratitude. Let’s be grateful together. Every day.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Joe Thornton, Great Conjunction Co-Founder