Around Thanksgiving, North Americans remind each other to be thankful for what we receive. We associate this special time of the year with being thankful for all we have received during the year.  We coax one another, during this time, to remember our gratitude-for our families, our work, our friends, and any and all blessings that have come into our path. To avoid this receptivity turning into the one-sided aspect of thanks-taking, we must consciously engage in the thanks-GIVING.

In the Cherokee tradition, it is also very important to be thankful for what we have to GIVE. In the traditions of the Native Americans, the Giveaway is something you willingly give up or distribute to others as a way of celebrating and maintaining the harmony and balance of life.  It is a practice, or path to reaffirm one's connection with the natural flow of the greater flow of our community, our country, our earth. The Giveaway is an expression of humility, kindness and wisdom-without the expectation of receiving something in return other than the honor and blessing of being able to "gift" someone.
The Giveaway is based on the idea that what we consider to be possessions are indeed never truly "owned" by anyone and must eventually pass to another or be returned to Mother earth-in a sense, we are only caretakers. We find our Hindu counterpart in the idea of Karma Yoga-the idea that our kinship with humanity is made concrete when we serve others, offering our skills, resources, time, energy to helping others without regard to recognition, outcome, or personal gain. Since the world is "the body of God", when we heal the world, we heal ourselves.  Both traditions remind us that every person and every thing has at least one special gift to offer the rest of Creation, and this is not something that makes us better than anyone or anything else, but with humility, something we have to give that makes us a part of everyone and everything else around us by honoring the relationship.

It is in this light that I encourage all of us to give during this time. As part of Sacred Space Yoga's commitment to balance, harmony, and honoring the circle, we are collecting clothing donations for infants and toddlers at the Mussie Orphanage in Ethiopia as well as canned/dry food for Manna Food Org. Please go to our homepage and scroll down to read more on what we need for these people. We hope you help us complete the circle. Namaste.