A Way of Looking at Thanksgiving

I am grateful for what I am and have. My thanksgiving is perpetual” — Henry David Thoreau

During autumn, particularly in October and November, I take time to appreciate all the good things in my life. Today, and in no particular order, I share some things I’m grateful for this year.

1. Creative Spirit

I’m thankful for the boundless imagination that fuels my poetry, stories, and art, allowing me to give voice to emotions and experiences.

2. Power of Words

I acknowledge the gift of language and my ability to use it to heal, encourage, and inspire both myself and, hopefully, others.

3. Influence of Ancestral Legacy

I honour the strength, ingenuity, and knowledge passed down through generations of Black women that transcend our bodily limitations and open the soul towards living with grace.

4. Resilience

I celebrate my resilience in facing life’s challenges, reminding myself that for a writer, every experience, even the difficult ones, is potential material for meaningful stories I can share with others.

5. Unique Perspective

I’m thankful for the emotional self-awareness and the opportunity to share my lived experiences through my work, providing unique narratives and insights.

6. Artistic Community

I’m grateful for the connections with other artists, creatives, writers, and poets who inspire me, challenge me, and share in my creative journey.

7. Beauty of Multidimensional Passion

I appreciate my curiosity and love for learning that allow me to explore multiple artistic avenues and never feel confined to one creative path.

8. Gift of Expression

I celebrate the privilege of having the tools, skills, and platforms to share my art and ideas with the world.

9. Audience

I’m incredibly thankful to all readers, listeners, and viewers who connect with my work, finding meaning and inspiration in the stories I tell.

10. Growth and Evolution

I’m grateful for how far I’ve come in both my personal and professional life, and for the ongoing growth that enriches my work and my life.

11. Health and Vitality

I am grateful for my body and mind, which give me the power to fully express myself as an artist and as a person.

12. Moments of Solitude and Reflection

I’m thankful for the quiet times that allow me to reconnect with myself, find inspiration, and nurture my soul.

13. Promise of Tomorrow

I’m thankful for the endless possibilities each new day brings, motivating me to create and grow.

Finnish Landscape: embracing the dark

P.S. Did you notice I’ve neither censored myself nor qualified how big or small these things are? I simply shared what they are and why.

Now, your turn. Go on, count your blessings! And please share a place, new or familiar, real or imagined, that helped you reconnect with yourself this year, in the comment section below. 🙂

I know we’re in December, already… Still Happy Belated Thanksgiving, to all who celebrate it!

Khaya Ronkainen
Khaya Ronkainen is a writer, poet and creative professional. Her blog focuses on all things poetry and creative nonfiction.

20 Comments

  1. Happy Belated Thanksgiving to you, too! 🙏🏾🩵

    I am happy to be alive and breathing once again–so many of my peers cannot say the same.

    I am grateful for love, strength, and peace. They’ve all been reasons of why I’m still sane.

    I am blessed to still have creativity brewing in my head that I can share with others.

    I am thankful for life to live and you experience growth in all its forms. It has truly been a journey.

  2. Dearest Khaya – I am with you on all these points of thanksgiving. Thank you for such a clear articulation. I’m printing them out for my inspiration wall! 🙂
    We may not be related by DNA, but we are Kindred (October baby) Spirits.
    My special space? I was blessed to be able to ‘walk the land’ on my family’s mountain property (too far away from where I currently reside) this past summer…this is where I allow my (he)art to merge with all I see and feel and yearn. hugs

  3. And I am thankful to you for this list of attributes. You have, again, made me stop and think.
    In answer to your question, I am particularly thankful for my family.

  4. Thanks, Mariss! So glad you took a pause and think about all the beauty around you, including your family. I also cherish this blogging space and community, because I found you.

  5. Oh, Laura! So touching that my gratitude list goes to your inspiration wall. May it keep reminding you of the beauty around! And yes, we’re kindred spirits, indeed. I appreciate you. About that DNA thing, you may never know… Remember, South Africans have a diverse European heritage!

    The way you describe your special space resonates with me. Walking the land and feeling your (he)art connect with it creates a special, heartfelt experience that evokes gratitude. So glad you had an opportunity to do just that, this past summer. And thank you for sharing it with us! <3

  6. This is such a lovely list. I am grateful for you and your work. The world is better with your voice in it.

    For me, the mountains in the fall always bring me back. Telluride this year was especially impactful, as we had our son with us after his hospital stay. That brush with trauma made it easy to be grateful for a safe and healthy family.

  7. I’m honoured and humbled by your gratitude, Christina. Thank you! And I feel the same about your work too. Thank you for the gift of words and the community we are part of.

    I totally understand why you’d be grateful for your family’s safety and health after what you went through. May you all find the strength to be patient as you heal. And thank goodness for the mountains that keep us grounded!

  8. Khaya, reading your list of gratitude it’s as if you’re writing mine! 😀❤️ There is so much to be thankful for in our lives and you have shown how deep these touch our lives – it is good to remind oneself from time to time. One part particularly stands out for me, written with your usual evocative style – ‘open the soul towards living with grace.’ Absolutely and always! sending much love & hugs, my friend. xx 💕

  9. Thank you, Annika. It means a lot that this gratitude list resonates with you. Indeed there’s so much to be thankful for. What comes to mind right now is the ability to make friends throughout the world, including our friendship. I appreciate you, and much love to you, my friend! <3

  10. A lovely list, Khaya. You’re so thoughtful about your blessings and shared them beautifully. I would borrow your list word for word and add my new puppy at the end. <3 Enjoy the feeling of gratefulness and let it carry you into the new year.

  11. Aww,you’ve got a new puppy! That’s definitely something to be grateful for. Pets are a wonderful gift, and dogs especially. I’m biased, of course… 🙂 And thank you always for reading, my friend. May every word you read inspire you as you review 2024 and imagine the year ahead! I’ll be carrying that feeling of gratefulness, too.

  12. You and many other bloggers, Khaya, are wonderful reminders that there is positivity, kindness, gratefulness, and generosity in the world still. You inspire me. Have a gorgeous Christmas season, my friend.

  13. I don’t have a list, though I should make one at some point..but definitely poetry and the connection with the virtual poetry world would be in it…Thank goodness!!!!!

  14. Thank goodness, indeed! Many times, I’ve been tempted to quit blogging… But the connection with the virtual poetry community keeps pulling me back. These connections are invaluable.

  15. Talk about belated lol I hope you’ll accept my almost three-month late thanksgiving wishes <3

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