When Casey Roberts died this week, she was dressed in a t-shirt that said, "This is what awesome looks like." It’s a perfect fit.

Casey and I met way back in 1995, as students in Interfaith Seminary. To manage the workload, five of us formed a study group we call the Merry Ministers. We became sisters collaborating on reading/writing/study/self exploration/laughter/tears/life.

Thursday is Thanksgiving, a national holiday. I feel ornery writing about it. In this moment there's no feeling of appreciation. In fact, I’m filled with resistance! Gratitude is not a faucet I turn on and off. Suppose I’m grumpy. Should I force myself to feel gratitude?

As the leaves fall in the northeast, one of my favorite events happens. I watch the geese prepare for their long flight to warm weather. For me, they model interdependence and how to ensure that our journey through life is uplifting. Here are the facts. 

Do you think, “No” when you receive an invitation to do something unfamiliar? “No” can become a habit, a reflex as natural as blinking. It's amazing how a small, two-letter word has so much muscle.

Where do our thoughts come from? I know that’s a strange question, but let’s investigate. Do we create them? Can we control them? If we can, are all our thoughts positive and pleasant? Not mine!

Thoughts arrive like visitors. We notice some of them when they appear, and others slip in through the back door of awareness.