Thanksgiving

This is my favorite holiday of the year. I've always used it to mark progress in my life. It's been a challenging year, but I'm thankful for so much. Not the least of which is my introduction to the Baha'i Faith. I'm excited because the year ahead will be filled with so much exploration.

I love ritual and at first I was disappointed to read that there is very little ritual in the Baha'i faith...but, when I started exploring people's personal blogs and reading articles about how families celebrate various holidays, I realized there may not be ritual, but there are certainly customs and traditions.

I can't wait to run through a cycle of Baha'i holy days and celebrations. I'm already planning my Ayyam-i-Ha cookies and unique gifts! Even the fast is exciting to me. Hey, I once went for ten days with no food at all, so I think I can make it.

Of course, as I write this, I realize there are more important things to discover about a faith (things other than cookies and gift giving traditions), and the reasons behind these celebrations are equally important to me, but I'm a celebratory kind of person and holidays/holy days are meant to be special.

So, here I am, on Thanksgiving and already excited about how much more I'll know and feel by this time next year. I'm so grateful for this...so grateful to have found something that interests me so much and so very grateful to already feel welcomed. It's heartwarming. Thank you.

Here are the words of Abdu’l-Baha on giving thanks.

Note: Isn't the pie spectacular? It was just about to go into the oven.