Thankgiving

Thanksgiving by Lidia Kenig Scher (c)

My reaction was of profound sadness hearing someone say that Thanksgiving was just another day and that given the mood of our country and of the world, it seemed unimportant to gather round, rejoice and be grateful.

As I recognized dual-thinking in these sentiments, I looked within to see any separateness in need of healing in my life. The divisions in our individual minds are reflected on the collective, as politicians and heads of state posture for which group we should be helping, plot how to decimate another group, and plan to exact revenge on those who “question our values” by going to the mall.

I am not proposing that we cover our ears and deny horrible events we choose to focus on nor compare with those we decide to ignore. Instead I suggest that on this designated day, we act with self-love and a sense of connection, by expressing gratefulness for what is; the good and not so good in our world. I urge that we look within to heal thoughts of rights and wrongs, of better or worse, and all judgments we make, albeit small.

The emotions based on the “us and them” attitude come from a profound lack of connection to God and our personal truth. It stems from misunderstanding our interrelatedness to everything and from forgetting our basic goodness.

After contemplating what dualities needed to be brought into oneness within me, I started playing with bright yellow, magenta and soft blue paint, blending and uniting the separate color blocks with glaze-dipped soft brushes and texture from embossed papers. Sinuous dark blue tree-like formations soon emerged in the foreground with a distinct right and left side sporting bright red dots. Peppery ones were added at the left end of bulbous and amorphous arms, while more graceful unfurling curves marked by a single dot got on the right side. Mindful of seeing my dualities, I added larger dots of violet-green acrylic to the entire surface of the “trees” as a unifying factor.

Noticing that the blue on the left side had mixed with yellow, I decided to expand the now green hue toward the right side creating contrast for a bright sunrise to emerge behind distant evergreens and created happy peepholes on the “tree trunks” to explore the vastness of the sky.

Layering yellow glaze on to represent the interrelatedness of nature, a new day symbolizes the possibility of starting anew at any moment, if we are able to understand that, “when a blade of grass is cut the whole universe quivers”.

The wise writings of the ancient Upanishads are a powerful reminder that we see duality in things, people and events at our peril. When we look deeply through the window of our grateful heart, we see that we are truly all connected and powerfully able to bend the universe into singing sounds of peace, love, and happiness.

Looking at the 9” x 12” acrylic painting on canvas as if it were a window I can look out on Thanksgiving Day I feel gladness. What I see reflected in the landscape, is the joy and happiness I feel just thinking of the people, things and events in my life I am grateful for. The burst of colors of the sunrise portend my looking forward to join my family and very dear friends at my son’s home to celebrate.

Purchase and hang Thanksgiving, in your home/office and feel extreme gratefulness imbued in the painting, as a cheerful reminder of the importance of a day dedicated to oneness every time you pass by it!