Thanksgiving To The World

Thanksgiving to the World. According to my blog statistics counter about 64.7% of you are from the United States of America where the tradition of Thanksgiving began in the New World. Our Earth is an infinitely small speck in the never ending Cosmos. And on this small Horton-Hears-A-Who-like-speck live an incredibly varied humanity, animal and plant lifeforms. We are all living participants in the miraculous each day of our existence.
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I recently heard an interview on New Dimensions Radio on the internet where a young girl that was raised in several foster homes during her life was taught by one especially intuitive foster mother to always keep a small stone in her pocket. The girl was instructed that whenever she felt the stone she was to remember three things that she was thankful for. She said that this one practice got her through the toughest of times.
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For each human, there is some pain and suffering. Yes, even the Buddha is credited with saying, “life is suffering.” But I feel that everyone would agree that we also have opportunities to be joyous, and thankful for our personal gifts. Sometimes we are thankful for fresh air to breath, a young child’s smile, or a lover’s embrace. Sometimes we are thankful that a broken neck has been healed. Sometimes we are thankful for an understanding partner in tough times.
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Dear reader, I know you share a sense of thankfulness for enjoying the humble ukulele as a vehicle for sharing music, developing new skill, and creating a space for comraderie. I like to think of the ukulele as an instrument for peace and bonding. I have made so many friends as a result of getting together with others and strumming, singing and sometimes picking. There are too many to remember.
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Recently, I had made a blog post of my wife Wendy’s ceramics from a recent Country Folk Art Show in Pleasanton, CA. As part of my support for Wendy’s craft I had made a trip to Sacramento to look at paints and greenware with her. I discovered a ceramic statue in the back corner of Alpha Ceramics. I didn’t have a camera with me that day but had the opportunity to stop by there today and take a couple of pictures for you to see.
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I want to thank you all for sharing the spirit of Thanksgiving in your lives. Try to make this day, November 26, 2009, a day for thankfulness. Hopefully this thankfulness can grow and be felt by all people and create a spark of kindness and unity in all hearts, all peoples, all countries, all religions.

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