Gratitude and Love

This week sort of marks of the beginning of "The Holidays". At least in the U.S., with Thanksgiving on Thursday and then... well, I won't talk about the next day and the chaos that stores have been counting down to for the past month.

In our town there's a parade on Friday night. Businesses are open late and give out goodies. It's festive.

I like festive. I like cozy. I like family togetherness.

I don't like the frenzy of shop, shop, shop. And I certainly don't like the fact that it seems to creep up earlier and earlier each year (and that's why I said "sort of" up there... is there even a clear delineation anymore?).

I guess I say that every year, but that's because it hits me every year.

I won't focus on it.

Instead I'll focus on the joy. Which is what I strive to do anyway.

Joy and gratitude and love.

If we all were to focus on cultivating joy and gratitude and love and spreading them into the world, do you know how powerful that would be?

I thought I'd share a few links along those lines that I've found inspiring lately:

• On Instagram Mountain Rose Herbs shared a photo of cards set out at an herb event in Portland. The cards read: "I love you. This card is sent to you to counteract some of the hatred in the world that is so often expressed in bitter words and acts of violence. Let us learn to give love generously, to express love honestly and to receive love graciously. Love is the only rational act."
• Shannon Kinney Duh wrote a beautiful post on her blog called "when it gets tough, remember life is for love" inspired, partly by her son's epiphany that "God made life for love."
• I recently stumbled on the inspiring blog House of Muses and particularly enjoyed Jordanna's posts about how gratitude makes you joyful and about how simplifying your life makes you more creative.
• Karen of the blog Sew and Sow Life shared a few links to "light-filled bit[s] of the internet" in this recent post. And her own advice: "Love. It's that simple. Spread it around as far as you can reach. If that's all we can do, "well done", I say."

I've also been thinking about the movie Love Actually where Hugh Grant (as British Prime Minister) says:

Whenever I get gloomy with the state of the world, I think about the arrivals gate at Heathrow Airport. General opinion's starting to make out that we live in a world of hatred and greed, but I don't see that. It seems to me that love is everywhere. Often, it's not particularly dignified or newsworthy, but it's always there - fathers and sons, mothers and daughters, husbands and wives, boyfriends, girlfriends, old friends. When the planes hit the Twin Towers, as far as I know, none of the phone calls from the people on board were messages of hate or revenge - they were all messages of love. If you look for it, I've got a sneaky feeling you'll find that love actually is all around.

 Yes. Love.

And don't forget gratitude. Because that is what Thursday is supposed to be about (although I think every day should be). Not turkey. Not Christmas shopping.

I'm sending both your way, my friends (love and gratitude, not turkey and Christmas shopping). Wishing you peace and calm. Wishing you togetherness and coziness. Wishing you festive celebrations.

And wishing you much joy, always.