A THANKSGIVING LETTER FROM TANYA

“Wishing you a day of remaining in the moment.  Not the past or future or story.  Not your thoughts or anxieties or lists.  But right here.  Right now.  Straight into the center.”  -Victoria Erickson.

There have been a few small changes since March and much remains the same.  Dare I say we have found a groove resembling what feels “normal”?  We reach for masks and our car keys when we leave the house, Zoom meetings are beginning to feel connective and commonplace, and it feels like we’ve eaten more home cooked meals in the past 8 months than we have in last 8 years.  

Just when we are getting good at unfamiliar and new, we are met with an old familiar tradition of the Thanksgiving holiday that will likely look very different this year. And, different doesn't have to mean less. What if we are being invited to discover something more? What if we are being invited to look at new ways of celebrating an old tradition?  What if we are discovering a new way of being with each other, with ourselves? Learning a new way of connecting deeper.  Learning to appreciate and be more present with what we already have, with who is already here.  

You’re still showing up, you’ve learned a lot this year.  I hope this week finds you pausing in gratitude and with grace for what we’re still learning together.  I’ve been thinking about how weariness and fatigue from change and challenge can also be of service to us when we’re ready.  When the wild roller coaster ride of change slows and we move beyond the shock, denial, anger, and sadness, and begin to soften into the arms of accepting what is--this is when we can begin feeling gratitude for our most basic needs of good health, love, and connection. A decision that can change us forever.  

My prayer for us this week is for cherished memories to be a meaningful reminder of who we already are.  For us to be strengthened by gratitude for what we have, not for what’s missing.  For us to stay present and open to creating new traditions. For us to collectively gather all of our hope and belief in what is possible, allow it to guide us in who we are becoming.   

 Stay open, brave, and hopeful.

xo

Be Well,

Tanya