“When you arise in the morning, give thanks for the morning light, for your life and strength. Give thanks for your food and the joy of living. If you see no reason for giving thanks, the fault lies in  yourself.” – Tecumseh, Shawnee, 1768-1813.

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For me, this is an important idea on the Red Road, the search for a life of worth. Everywhere I go, I hear people blaming others for the troubles of their world, and for their own fears and failures and frustrations. The left blames the right, the right blames the left, we blame the government, our bosses, our parents.

I try and give thanks for what I have, rather than rage about what I don’t have, I take responsibility for my successes and failures in the world, I resist the idea that it is always someone else’s fault, although it is so easy to blame everyone else.

We all have something to be grateful for, certainly for the morning light. I give thanks for my food, for the love in my life, for my pictures, for Red and the donkeys, for my friends, for the joy living. If I find no reason at all for giving thanks in the morning, then it means my soul is hollow, my spirit is drained, the emptiness lies within myself.