As the year is beginning to wind down, it has become increasingly apparent that surviving and thriving is easier when our focus, even for a few minutes a day, turns to gratitude. Whether it is noticing a sunset, a sweet melody of birdsong, giving thanks for health and the strength of our body, for a warm embrace from a loved one, for small acts of kindness … these small expressions of gratefulness have the ability to shift us in the moment, and collectively create a positive impact on our outlook on life.

Sonja Lyubomirsky, in the book The How of Happiness: A New Approach to Getting the Life You Want, states, “Gratitude is many things to many people. It is wonder; it is appreciation; it is looking on the bright side of a setback; it is fathoming abundance; it is thanking someone in your life; it is thanking God; it is ‘counting blessings.’ It is savoring; it is not taking things for granted; it is coping; it is present-oriented.”

We have so much to be grateful for as we celebrate our 96th issue of Natural Awakenings Lancaster/Berks and eight years of publishing. We’ve weathered the storm of an ongoing pandemic along with so many of the small business owners in our pages. These courageous and inspiring individuals meet our readers with messages of hope and healing. We are grateful to have nurtured a growing community invested in their own health and wellness and in sustaining the well-being of others. We are a witness to strength and commitment as business owners and practitioners adapt to the dramatic changes that have affected their livelihoods, and consider the needs of the persons they wish to serve.

In addition to gratitude for our readership and professional community, we are grateful for our team for Steffi, our designer, for Gisele, our editor, for the writers, proofreaders, support staff and other publishers in our Natural Awakenings tribe – for joining with us as we seek to elevate our world to a higher level of consciousness and to support healing of physical, emotional and environmental wounds that remain. 

It is fulfilling and meaningful to be a part of such a tribe, connecting with each other and sharing information in a language that resonates as we lean into ancient wisdom and reach towards new modalities to heal our ills and keep us well.

We are grateful for what we already have as we seek to build more bridges, fuel action for healthy changes and create more community.

Wishing you a peaceful, gratitude-filled November,

Kendra & Jacqueline