Tag: Thanksgiving

Mitakuye Oyasin

I read this gorgeous prayer this morning, recited by the Lakota Native American Tribe. It is called “Mitakuye Oyasin”, which means “we are all related”. I think that it is just perfect, especially at this reflective time of the year. This is Mitakuye Oyasin:

The Prayer


Aho, Mitakuye Oyasin … All my relations, I honor you in this circle of life with me today. I am grateful for this opportunity to acknowledge you in this prayer….

To the Creator, for the ultimate gift of life, I thank you.

To the mineral nation that has built and maintained my bones and all foundations of life experience, I thank you.

To the plant nation that sustains my organs and body and gives me healing herbs for sickness, I thank you.

To the animal nation that feeds me from your own flesh and offers your loyal companionship in this walk of life, I thank you.

To the human nation that shares my
paths as a soul upon the sacred wheel of Earthly life, I thank you.

To the Spirit nation that guides me invisibly through the ups and downs of life and for carrying the torch of light through the Ages, I thank you.

To the Four Winds of Change and Growth, I thank you.

You are all my relations, my relatives, without whom I would not live. We are in the circle of life together, co-existing, co-dependent, co-creating our destiny. One, not more important than the other. One nation evolving from the other, and yet each dependent upon the one above and the one below. All of us a part of the Great Mystery.

Thank you for this Life.

My Grateful Heart

Happy Thanksgiving!  I have so much to be thankful for in my life – my family, my friends, my health.  I have told you this before and I feel it every single day:  I’m incredibly grateful to have created this blog and to have connected with all of my readers this year.  This blog has been life-changing for me.  The positive change in me has even been noted by my friends who know me best.  Thank you for facilitating this metamorphosis in me.  Thank you for supporting me, validating me, and being interested in me.  Know that you have been a very positive “surprise gift” in my life, the present I didn’t even know that I needed until it arrived.  Thank you.  Thank you.  Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

“Be who you are.  Share yourself with the world.  We’re all supposed to be different and unique.  There’s just one of us.  So be exactly who you are.  Don’t be ashamed of it, trust you’re going to be accepted because honesty is always rewarded.” – unknown

Happy Thanksgiving, my friends!  Have a beautiful, wonderful, warm, affirming, loving day!!!  Thankful.  Grateful.  Blessed.

It’s a Dog’s Thanksgiving

My friend has a whole houseful of family and friends staying with her this Thanksgiving week.  A lot of them brought their dogs along.  Apparently, things have gotten a little spicy with the dogs.

One of the dogs staying with my friend is very yappy and just doesn’t shut up.  Another dog just isn’t well-behaved and apparently never really learned good doggy manners.  The younger dogs are full of energy and they are feeding off of each others’ energy, creating quite a frenzy.  One of the dogs appears to be in heat and is being inappropriately affectionate with anything that breathes, or doesn’t breathe, for that matter.  My friend’s older male dog, the dog of the house, has never been particularly fond of other dogs to begin with, and he is quick to snap and put the other dogs into their place.  There have been squabbles over food, toys and sleeping arrangements.

All things being said, individually, these pups are all sweet, lovable mutts.  It’s just they are not used to being together in close quarters and in unfamiliar territory.  Her dog is not used to sharing his stuff.  The anxiety the dogs are feeling, brings out the worst in them.  My friend did text a cute picture of the dogs, at the end of the day, all cuddled up in a pile of fur.  Her dog even appears to be giving another dog a good, sweet lick.  Honestly, I think that they’ll make it through the week, just fine.