How many pumpkins can fit in the back of a Subaru Outback?

The correct answer is: This many.

Thank you to the lovely Shanks family who have Madison Gardens on Route 29 and who donated all these pumpkins to the Wildlife Center of Virginia. The bear cubs are going to have a delicious treat on Thanksgiving! (And, yes, I counted as we loaded … there were 248 pumpkins loaded into the Subaru, if you include the ones piled up on the front passenger seat.)

Wishing you a peaceful and happy Thanksgiving. And, because some of you asked, I am sharing with you the blessings from our Yoga classes last week — along with some from previous Thanksgiving classes.

“At times our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person. Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us.”  ~ Albert Schweitzer

This is, by far, my most favorite cartoon of all time … from Mutts

I have looked for other blessings of gratitude over the years, and there are beautiful ones out there, but this is the one that I always come back to. It is from W.E.B. Du Bois, the tireless civil rights leader and author.

Give us thankful hearts … in this the season of Thy Thanksgiving. May we be thankful for health and strength, for sun and rain and peace. Let us seize the day and the opportunity and strive for that greatness of spirit that measures life not by its disappointments but by its possibilities, and let us ever remember that true gratitude and appreciation shows itself neither in independence nor satisfaction, but passes the gift joyfully on in larger and better form.

And, here’s a cornucopia of other gratitude blessings from our Yoga classes over the years …

Click here for the Gratitude Savasana and Energy Bridge instruction: Thanksgiving Yoga ~ A Blessing, Part 1

Click here for another beautiful blessing that guided our meditation at the end of a previous Thanksgiving class: Thanksgiving Yoga ~ A Blessing, Part 2

Here The Buddha explains why we should be thankful: So, Let Us All Be Thankful

And, for a beautiful poem of Gratitude from Harriett Kofalk that served as the foundation of one of our Thanksgiving Day Yoga practices: I Give Thanks

I’m sharing all these with you again to inspire you (“inspire” being simply the sneaky way of saying … I’m “reminding” you) to unroll your mat sometime this week … and infuse your practice with gratitude and a smile. Even if you do just one asana this week — just one — be grateful that you can.

May you have much to be grateful for this Thanksgiving … including this moment. And, this moment. And, this one. And … 

Namasté