Thanksgiving is the quintessential American holiday, and I cherish it. I give thanks today for the love of family and friends, for the aromas of fresh baking, for the wind skipping the fall leaves and a small dog chasing them, for a just opened book that is eager to be read, for the sun above the clouds and the generous Earth under my feet. In a few hours we will raise our glasses and share words of blessing.

But while the table may be heavier laden than on other days, this custom of giving thanks is for every day, not just Turkey Day. That is the indigenous way. The First Peoples teach us that we want to return thanks every day for the gifts of life, and the powers that support our lives. This is the very essence of prayer, and of walking in balance.

I give thanks today, as all days, for the gifts and the challenges of this lifetime. I give thanks, as the ancestors of this land taught me, to my Mother Earth and my Elder Brother Sun, to my Brothers the Thunderers and to my Grandmother Moon. I seek to walk in balance between Earth and Sky, affirming, on the paths of light, and life and creation.

Happy Thanksgiving!