On Being Thankful and Hopeful

Thanksgiving Thoughts and Warm Wishes to All

If we have faith in humankind
And respect for what is earthly
And an unfaltering belief
In peace and love and understanding
This could be heaven here on earth
Heaven's in our heart ~ Tracy Chapman "Heaven's Here on Earth"

Sometimes you just can't find words to say it better. Such is the case with this post. This is my annual reprise from a 2007 Thanksgiving post.  I must fully credit the sublime Tracy Chapman for her inspiration in communicating a simple, yet powerful, idea so eloquently and artfully.

You Are Blessed!

From the moment of creation when each of us became the specific person we were endowed with unique and incredible, special gifts. We the lucky ones who have beaten the tremendous odds in nature's selection process to become alive. Who cannot be thankful for the opportunity being alive?

You and I are greatly blessed. For there are so many who will neither glimpse nor experience the privileged lives we lead with our computers, smart phones, cars, warm homes, plentiful food in abundance unknown by previous generations.

Why I Am Thankful

I am grateful for what I have been given. To me, the greatest gift of any parent is the one I have known and possessed all my days. It is unconditional love from them, my siblings, extended family and close friends. I will be in the company of part of my family again for this Thanksgiving holiday. For that too, I am grateful and blessed and am eager to bask in the warmth of their love and friendship. No material gifts nor money can match such a magnanimous rewarding gift.

Why I Am Hopeful... I Believe

Reflecting on Thanksgiving and family brings to mind the powerful poignant lyrics of Tracy Chapman's "Heaven's Here On Earth" from her New Beginnings album shown in the above video. By merely reading the lyrics to this timeless song, I am lifted above the fray to see a horizon of hopefulness with positive possibilities unimagined for us and future generations. It starts with believing:

You can look to the stars in search of the answers
Look for God and life on distant planets
Have your faith in the ever after
While each of us holds inside the map to the labyrinth

And heaven's here on earth
We are the spirit the collective conscience
We create the pain and the suffering and the beauty in this world

Heaven's here on earth
In our faith in humankind
In our respect for what is earthly
In our unfaltering belief in peace and love and understanding

I've seen and met angels wearing the disguise
Of ordinary people leading ordinary lives
Filled with love, compassion, forgiveness and sacrifice

Heaven's in our hearts
In our faith in humankind
In our respect for what is earthly
In our unfaltering belief in peace and love and understanding

Look around
Believe in what you see
The kingdom is at hand
The promised land is at your feet
We can and will become what we aspire to be

If Heaven's here on earth
If we have faith in humankind
And respect for what is earthly
And an unfaltering belief that truth is divinity
And heaven's here on earth

I've seen spirits
I've met angels
I've touched creations beautiful and wondrous
I've been places where I question all I think I know
But I believe, I believe, I believe this could be heaven

We are born inside the gates with the power to create life
And to take it away
The world is our temple
The world is our church
Heaven's here on earth

If we have faith in humankind
And respect for what is earthly
And an unfaltering belief
In peace and love and understanding
This could be heaven here on earth
Heaven's in our heart

Have a blessed safe holiday if you are celebrating Thanksgiving this weekend. Wherever you are, regardless whether at a splendid celebration, or a late fall weekend in a place where the Thanksgiving holiday is not celebrated, please take a moment to rejoice for your blessings, your gifts and your little piece of heaven here on earth all the same.

Please know I also am grateful, thankful and honored to have you as a reader of my blog.

Wam wishes for a Happy Thanksgiving!