Hi everyone! Here in the States it’s almost Thanksgiving, our annual holiday celebrating food and eating. I heard a description like that this past week while watching a television cooking show. Of course, the holiday actually is about being thankful—for friends, family, blessings, and yes, food.
I wasn’t planning to do a Thanksgiving post this year. Today’s post was supposed to be about the Welsh in the United States. And I will do that post in the near future, I promise, but it’s been a lousy week and it seems like a good time to focus on gratitude.
Below are some excerpts from two of my previous Thanksgiving posts. I found them helpful to read. They made my week a whole lot better and I hope they will lift your spirits as well. So, here are some thoughts on gratitude and hospitality.
Most human hearts are filled with goodness and love as well as a desire to put those feelings into action. Someone once told me, “One of the kindest things you can do is let someone be kind to you.” Then you return the kindness to them and to others. That’s the essence of Thanksgiving.
To the Celtic mind, gratitude and hospitality are intertwined. Celtic hospitality springs from thankfulness.
You show hospitality because of what you have received. You give to others because the Divine has abundantly given to you.
In Celtic spirituality, something is blessed not because of an action but because of the divine spark within it, and everything a person encounters is blessed because everything (including that fork) is a gift from the Divine. In keeping with this spirituality, when someone presents himself or herself at your doorstep, that person is blessed and is a blessing. It follows naturally, then, that you should receive that person—invited or uninvited—with thanksgiving and treat the person with respect and reverence. Tried to remember this on Thanksgiving when Aunt Susie keeps coming into your kitchen to “help” while you’re trying to get dinner made.
There are many ways to practice hospitality in everyday life. Smile at people as you go about your day. Be aware of those around you (look up from your phone once in a while). Hold the door for someone. And there are many, many more small kindnesses. Just listen to your heart. It will tell you.
And just be present (really, actually paying attention to your relatives and people you encounter each day), be grateful, be patient, and be kind. Is that so hard? Yes, maybe. At times, it can be. But try to do it anyway. You may discover that you’re the one who ends up blessed by the effort.
Wishing you the warmest of Thanksgiving blessings!
These thoughts were taken from my posts “Celtic Hospitality and Gratitude 2020” and “Seasoning Your American Thanksgiving with Celtic Hospitality.”
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Slán go fóill
All artwork for this post (except for the Ukrainian flag and the GIF) by Christine Dorman via Bing AI Image Creator.