“If someone looks, acts, believes, thinks, talks, etc. differently than we do they are strange. What if we are strange to them?”  Now before I begin my article I will share the comment I left after the above post: “ALL children simply need to be understood. Not for the labels placed on them, how they look, what color they are, their interests. Simply accept and understand they are a unique loving soul with as much potential and as much to share as everyone else.” It is Thanksgiving time already. Time has just passed by so quickly. We have covered so much to gain a better understanding of gifted children. This month we will continue growing together as we consider what Thanksgiving means to many of us. Here is a portion of an article written by Timi Gustafson RD. The complete article can be found at http://blog.seattlepi.com/timigustafsonrd/2011/11/23/rethinking-the-meaning-of-thanksgiving/: “As every child in America learns in kindergarten, Thanksgiving goes back the very beginning of our nation. It’s more than just another holiday. It’s our own unique creation myth, if you will. As the story goes, the first white settlers, later called the “pilgrims,” landed near the tip of Cape Cod after crossing the Atlantic from Plymouth, England, on a small ship called the Mayflower. The first year after arriving on the new continent proved to be disastrous and only half of the passengers and crew members made it through the winter. A year later, in November 1621, the pilgrims had their first successful harvest and that called for a big celebration. They invited their native neighbors for a sumptuous meal and that was the beginning of a tradition that continues until today. Well, that’s the short version. More historically correct would be that, although there were more Thanksgiving celebrations in the following years, it was President George Washington who first declared Thanksgiving as an official public holiday in 1789. By this, he called upon Americans to express their collective gratitude for the victorious conclusion of the war of independence. But only in 1817, the state of New York became the first to officially celebrate an annual Thanksgiving holiday. Other states followed the custom but observed it on different days. In 1863, at the height of the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln reinterpreted the meaning of Thanksgiving as a day to remember “all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife and to heal the wounds of the nation.” From then on, Thanksgiving was scheduled for the last Thursday in November, only to be moved up a week in 1939 by President Franklin Roosevelt to help stimulate retail sales during the Great Depression. The change didn’t last long and by the time America entered into World War II, Thanksgiving was back on the old schedule, where it remains until today. Of course, none of these former causes for celebration really matter to most of us today. It’s a holiday, one we celebrate among others during the Season. It gives us a chance to sit down for a family dinner, an occasion that is becoming increasingly rare, if not altogether extinct. I share this article in hopes of bringing a better understanding to the Thanksgiving Holiday and how we as a family can instill values on our children that can be passed down for many generations ahead. In the first paragraph of this article we are brought back to a time in which Pilgrims and the Natives were together in unity to share a meal and much thanks for those that had survived the journey, their new home with the bounty of the crops, as well as their new neighbors that shared their knowledge of the land and how to survive making it possible for the settlers to thrive in their new environment. During the first feast the Natives shared their good fortune with the Settlers as the Settlers also shared new and unknown gifts with the Natives. Both sides shared in the giving of thanks. Both groups sat united in oneness and bowed their heads to the difference in them while embracing their own uniqueness. On that special Thanksgiving Day all were one. No one was better, faster, or smarter than the other. Any differences were set aside and each group although diverse were just as important as the other in the bringing together of joy to the common good of all. We can look at ourselves as the Natives and our children as the Settlers as we share our traditions, beliefs, morals, values, and so much more with our children to assist them in acclimating to the new 3D bodies they are finding themselves in. We have much to share with our children in ways of the world. However the Settlers (our children) came with their own set of skills, talents and gifts to share with us as well. We can embrace the brilliance of these gifts if we simply listen to the tales that can be shared from the hearts of our children. Just as the Natives and the Settlers from our article did so long ago, we can set aside any differences. We can for a moment not turn our nose up to something we don’t understand instead we can strive to find that understanding. We can take the brightly colored picture our child has drawn us and look past the scribbles, and beyond the masses of seemingly unorganized markings and find the pearl in the midst. We can chat with our child and let them show us the mysteries buried just beyond our comprehension. We can listen to the tales our child seems to weave from out of thin air and just perhaps hear of a magical way of looking at situations in a new more innocent loving way. Even if we don’t believe perhaps during this month of Thanksgiving we can look at our child through the eyes of understanding. What about giving thanks? We can find something to be thankful for each and every day. No matter who we are or what life style we live in, there is always something to be grateful for. To end this article lets pledge to find something, anything to be thankful for each day this month. I will start a list to help us get some ideas. Thankful: The air Warm running water Ability to walk across the floor A blanket for cool nights Dinner on the table Soft refreshing breezes Bright warming sunlight Eyes to read this article Family to hold close during troubling times Laughter from a child Of course the list is endless add to it each day as you celebrate all that you have to be thankful for. In gratitude for so many new friends we meet each day those that touch our hearts and fill our days with much to be grateful for I am adding a website of a person who I am grateful to have meet in hopes you will check the site out and find the same kind heart. www.mindbodycoaching.com/ Please take a look at my new book now for sale on Amazon: For sale now at an amazing price. http://www.amazon.com/Spiritual-Understanding-2012-Beyond-ebook/dp/B008EE823G/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1350104685&sr=8-1&keywords=spiritual+understanding+2012+and+Beyond Visit my website or contact me via email with questions or comments www.thespiritsaid.webs.com or kalenasmoon@gmail.com ]]>