Living Your Intentionautumn
Welcome to Living Your Intention!
Hinda
While preparing for this Thanksgiving, I can't help but think that throughout history, the Earth's bountiful harvest has been celebrated. While these ceremonies have differed throughout the centuries, the spirit of the occasions remained the same: to reflect on life's blessings.

When we reminisce about our blessings and plan for the upcoming celebration, we think about those near and dear.  For some, this Thanksgiving will have new meaning and a different energy. There are those who have experienced the loss of a spouse or a parent; friends who have joyfully welcomed the birth of a grandchild; a new reality has set in for some as a terminal illness makes for a last Thanksgiving; others are in recovery from cancer or surgery; loved ones may not be joining us because they've relocated; others will welcome a new family member to their table.

As we give thanks and count our blessings, we acknowledge the gifts of love we've received. We are grateful for family and friends, and we lovingly remember those who are no longer with us.

I am thankful for life's abundance, our connection to the earth, and to one another. This is an auspicious time to gather with those we hold dear and give thanks for a harvest of love.
 
thanksgiving card

Hinda
Reminiscing Thanksgivings Past

vintage pilgrimThanksgiving was a favorite holiday at our home. My sister and I loved Mom's cornbread dressing and her special refrigerator pumpkin pie. So many childhood memories are of special dishes unique to each family. It seems the kitchen, with its special smells and dishes created there, has always represented warmth, comfort, and the security of home and family.

No matter how high-tech our kitchens become, every time we cook we are enacting an age-old ritual. To the ancients, the hearth had great power, was often considered sacred, and always respected as the place where the family prepared the sustenance that kept them alive.

bakingWhile I thought of my childhood kitchen as a special place, it never occurred to me to think of it as sacred. And although I loved the energy of my kitchen when I was cooking for my own family, I wouldn't have attributed the word sacred to it, at least not until I began my Feng Shui studies. It was then my definition of a sacred space expanded to include any space that nurtures and supports our physical, emotional and spiritual well-being. A room that is solely for the purpose of providing life supporting nourishment would certainly be considered a sacred space!

From a Feng Shui perspective, the kitchen is one of the three most important rooms in the house. Not only is that room respected as the place to prepare food that keeps the family alive, but the person who prepares the food is also revered.  In light of this philosophy, it is easy to see why Feng Shui practice attaches such great importance to the kitchen and to the cook. 

This simple yet profound thinking emphasizes the importance of the food we eat and its impact on contributing healthy chi to our bodies, especially when prepared with love and devotion. While we may not spend as much time in the kitchen as our mothers and grandmothers, Thanksgiving brings us there and provides the opportunity to be mindful of the sacredness of the kitchen, the cook and the food preparation.

My mother wasn't a fancy cook nor do I believe she thought what she was doing was sacred, but she did take great care and pride in cooking for her family. A huge football fan, Mom initiated our family tradition of having Thanksgiving dinner the Wednesday night before so that she would not miss watching the big football game on Thursday. Everyone who shared dinner with our family was invited back the next day for yummy leftovers. Mom would re-heat everything and set the food out buffet style. That way, we could fill our plate any time we wanted, and she could enjoy football without interruption.

vintage hatchetSome of the dishes we consider traditional for Thanksgiving were, in actuality, not served as a part of the original festivity, such as turkey. The term "turkey" was used by the Pilgrims to mean any sort of wild fowl so it is possible they had wild ducks and geese. They did have venison, fish, berries, watercress, lobster, dried fruit, clams, venison, and plums. I admit I could give up turkey for lobster, although I might be eating alone!

While it has become a staple at almost every Thanksgiving, it is unlikely that pumpkin pie was included in the first feast. At that time, the supply of flour was significantly limited, preventing any bread or pastry baking. Our early settlers did eat boiled pumpkin and produced a type of fried bread from their corn crop. And mashed potatoes? Forget it! The newly discovered potato was still considered poisonous.

Our family gathering also included another favorite tradition: the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. My sister and I never missed watching it on television every year and I dreamed of being there in person.
 
50s kidsI will never forget the first time my parents accepted an invitation to join family friends at their home for Thanksgiving. I'm sure it was wonderful but my only memory of that day is coming home to "no leftovers!" My sister and I complained so much my parents never again accepted a Thanksgiving invitation out. I returned home every year for this holiday while I was in college and graduate school.

My first dramatic break with family tradition came when I moved to Minneapolis to live and work. I moved here in the fall and the week prior to Thanksgiving attended a professional conference in San Francisco. My roommate and I decided she would join me to spend Thanksgiving in that glorious city. We felt very sophisticated having our Thanksgiving dinner at the famous Fairmont San Francisco hotel!

After I married, we traveled to Texas every November to indulge in Mom's special dishes. Leftovers? I solved that issue by re-creating the meal on our return.  

paradeAs our daughters got older, it became more difficult to take them out of school for the annual Texas Thanksgiving. It was then I began to carry on family traditions in my own home. I did not share Mom's love of football, so we had Thanksgiving on the actual Thanksgiving Day! While I cooked, my two daughters cuddled up in front of the TV, like my sister and I so many years before, captivated by the magical parade.                                         
Suddenly, it seemed, our years of tradition dissolved. I was divorced. It took years to find and adjust to a rhythm that felt good for this holiday. Dear friends became family and my daughters and I were invited to become a part of their families on that special day. I am grateful for those friends who helped me get through those difficult years.

Over time, new Thanksgiving traditions evolved. Actually, the new traditions became ones that were ever-changing. This was not a bad thing! I got to spend a Thanksgiving in New York and attend the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade! It was my childhood dream come true and one of my most memorable Thanksgivings!

tog interiorAfter the parade, my dear friends and I had a scrumptious turkey dinner at Tavern on the Green in Central Park. Grandiose in everyway, Tavern on the Green opened in 1934 and was Central Park's largest and most flamboyant fine dining restaurant. It was difficult to imagine this Victorian Gothic brick and stone structure originally housed a shepherd and his flock of 200 sheep. Unfortunately, the recession forced it to close this year. But on that magnificent day, I was there!

Afterward we saw Miss Saigon on Broadway! I could have never imagined I would be watching the parade in the morning, dining in Central Park in the afternoon and watching a helicopter land on stage in the evening! It was a full and fabulous day!

This Thanksgiving will be a traditional one at our home with my older daughter and Tom's children and grandchildren. I will be back in the kitchen making all of Mom's dishes that are favorites. We have invited family to bring one of their favorite dishes that has become a Thanksgiving dinner "must have" for them.

turkey tableWhile I love preparing this meal, I admit I find it a bit of a juggling challenge. My oven, sufficiently sized all year long, appears to shrink during Thanksgiving baking when the main attraction, Tom Turkey, takes center stage. Having guests bring side dishes helps to alleviate that situation.
 
I recently saw the movie adaptation of the book, "Eat Pray Love"  and one scene in particular caught my attention. In the scene, Liz Gilbert, played by Julia Roberts, is in Italy preparing a traditional Thanksgiving meal for her new Italian friends. In the midst of preparation, it is discovered that the person in charge of the turkey forgot to thaw it. Unphased by what the majority of us would consider a catastrophe, they laughed (I suspect many of us would cry) and with good humor, joy and gratitude, sat down and feasted on the wonderful side dishes.

This scenario was significant. Food is a powerful source of energy, fueling our chi and nourishing us physically, spiritually, and emotionally. Feng Shui belief reminds us the energy in the kitchen strongly influences the food that is being prepared. If the chi of the kitchen becomes unbalanced because the cook is tired, stressed or upset, then everyone at the table will ingest the energy surrounding the food when it was prepared.

burnt turkeyThat scene in the movie serves as a powerful reminder of the importance of remaining calm in the face of kitchen fiascos. It is easy to see where this situation could have gone wrong! If Liz became upset and distraught, accusing her friend of ruining the dinner, it would have been ruined for everyone and what began as a loving gesture would have turned into a total disaster. Instead, she laughed, made the best of the moment and everyone enjoyed a memorable meal. When the turkey was finally ready, they ate it for breakfast!

The moral? Knowing that the holidays can bring extraordinary pressures, we can consciously try for patience should things not go as planned, avoid setting high expectations for ourselves and others, and above all, maintain a sense of humor. The unexpected events of today will be the memorable stories of tomorrow, laughingly shared and repeated at future celebrations.
tom turkey
What family traditions do you maintain?  What new ones have you created? What are your "must have" dishes at Thanksgiving? Do you have a "kitchen disaster" story?

What are you thankful for this Thanksgiving?
I would love to hear from you!
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Thank you so much for your interest in Living Your Intention!
I welcome your feedback, and look forward to hearing from you!  Please know that I am grateful for your presence.
Many blessings,
Hinda Abrahamson

"A mind that is stretched to a new idea never returns to its original dimensions."- Oliver Wendell Holmes
In This Issue
Reminiscing Thanksgivings Past
DreamTrips
World's Largest Pumpkin Pie!
Money-Saving Tips on Domestic Air Travel
Intention
yin yang

The purpose of this newsletter is two-fold: to share ways to incorporate the art of  Feng Shui in daily life and to share travel experiences.  Each of these, in its own way, can support mindfulness and intentionality as we navigate our life's journey.

I hope that you might encounter a new idea, a new resource or a new viewpoint.  Perhaps some small insight will answer an unspoken question, provide a helpful tip, motivate or inspire you or simply give you a moment to escape from the demands of your day.



World's Largest Pumpkin Pie!
worlds largest pie

At 20 feet in diameter and 3 inches thick, the World's Largest Pumpkin Pie for 2010 measured in at total volume of 132,300 cubic inches and 572 gallons.
 
Ingredients:
 3 lbs pumpkin pie spice
14.5 lbs. of cinnamon
7 lbs. of salt
525 lbs of sugar
109 gallons of evaporated milk
233 dozen eggs
187 jumbo cans of pumpkin

The pie was cut into 5000 pieces for the hungry onlookers!

Give a Memorable Gift This Year!

pinecone gift

Consider a unique and personal gift for someone special!
Perhaps they would welcome a
Feng Shui
house blessing
, personal wardrobe consultation, whole house evaluation, or even a shorter visit to evaluate the energy in an important space such as bedroom, home office or kitchen.

Special Holiday Packages
start at $90


Call 952-938-0894
for details!


About Hinda
Hinda Abrahamson is passionate about Feng Shui and travel.
A certified Feng Shui Consultant, Hinda is a founding member of and has just been named President of the Feng Shui Institute.

 bagua

Intentional
Spaces

 
Intentional Spaces is a consulting business, providing clients with advice on how to apply the ancient principles of Feng Shui to office, home and landscape. Hinda assists in creating a balanced and harmonious environment that reflects individual personality and life style.

This powerful art of placement can provide valuable guidance and insight

Whether you are selling, purchasing or building a home or an office, planning a major remodeling, redecorating or simply re-organizing, Feng Shui brings a deeper perspective.


As a Fashion Feng Shui Facilitator, Hinda assists with wardrobe choices for you to better reflect your authentic self, eliminate closet clutter, and support your personal energies.

For consultations, speaking engagements, or customizing a workshop for your group, contact Hinda at (952) 938-0894 or email:
Hinda Abrahamson


Intentional
 Travel

yellow suitcase

Believing that travel expands our thinking and provides respite from busy lives, Hinda offers you the opportunity to plan your next travel experience.

Intentional Travel's Preferred Customers automatically get the following benefits:

Free Insurance
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airplane

Tips for Saving Money on Domestic Airline Tickets

The cheapest days to fly are Wednesday,Tuesday and Saturday. Fewer businesspeople fly on these days resulting in more available seats.

 

Tuesday afternoon is considered the best time to buy airline tickets. 


If you are willing to fly while others are sleeping, you can save money.  The cheapest time to fly is the first flight of the day; also consider flying at noon or after 5:00 p.m.

Avoid weekend flying when prices tend to be higher.

 

Plan on booking your flight at least a month in advance; as your travel date gets closer, airlines can charge higher prices as demand becomes more immediate.

 
On the other hand, if you can fly stand-by or risk trying to buy a last minute ticket, you can save money because the airline may be trying to fill open seats.

 

Book online to avoid paying a commission.

 

Being flexible has financial rewards. If you can't have departure flexibility, consider destination flexibility. Resist getting stuck on a specific destination. Being adventurous can save you money!

 

los cabos arch

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