Sukkot, the Jewish harvest festival, ends today. The sukkah, an outdoor reed hut, is where families eat, recalling the time when the Israelites wandered the desert for forty years, sleeping and eating under the stars.

Today, take time to get outside for a meal, and pause and give thanks for your harvest. Can you leave work at lunchtime to eat outdoors? Can you enjoy your evening meal on the deck or in the yard?

As you eat, slowly savor the food, being thankful for all that you eat.

Take time to appreciate where you live, work, or are, and give thanks for your home, workplace, and neighborhood.

Widen your awareness to the community, area, or town you are in, and give thanks for the safety, security, and services available to you.

When you finish your meal, pause and give thanks that you are housed, fed, protected, and cared for.

What a harvest!