This afternoon, visitors from around the world converged at the Sheraton Lisle Hotel in Lisle, Illinois for a special four-day Thanksgiving Program with Sant Rajinder Singh Ji Maharaj. In his inaugural talk, the spiritual Master welcomed one and all. He focused on the true spirit of this North American tradition that is celebrated on the last Thursday in November each year.
Thanksgiving is a time for us to be grateful for all the blessings in our lives and for sharing with others the gifts we have received; it is a time for gift-giving. Of all the gifts in this world, love is the greatest gift we can give or receive. Thus, it is love that we must share at this time of year and all year round. So, Thanksgiving, in short, is a festival of love. While we show our love and gratitude to everyone in our lives, it is also a day to thank our greatest benefactor, God, for all the blessings bestowed upon us.
God wants nothing from us except our love because it is love that will bring us back to God. To develop love for God, we need to experience God’s love. This happens as we withdraw our attention from the distractions of this material world and focus it within through meditation. As we do so, we connect with God’s divine Light and Sound and are uplifted into stillness, calm, peace, tranquility, love, beauty, joy, and bliss. When we take time each day to regularly sit in silence and still the mind, we begin to experience the splendor of God’s love and benevolence. We experience God’s presence in our lives and the Hand of God in the everyday miracles that would otherwise have gone unnoticed.
The more we meditate and connect with God’s love and presence, the more we are in awe of God as we develop a higher angle of vision. Then, just as a fruit-laden tree bends under the weight of its riches, we, too, will bow our heads in gratitude and humility, keenly aware of the riches in our lives that are all gifts from God.
