Happy Thanksgiving! Celebrate this day of gratitude with this special reflection from Jean Houston.

I like to imagine that the pleasure of giving thanks can be visualized in my heart. It’s like a rose bud, nestled deep inside. I can almost feel it there, almost reach in to my heart to touch it, almost imagine its sweet fragrance.

Each time I say or even think a word of thanksgiving, the rosebud expands. "Thank you," I say to the riot of color still clinging to the autumn trees. And the rosebud begins to unfurl. "Thank you," I think to the clouds as they flirt with the shy winter sun. "Thank you," I remember to say to the man who cuts in front of me in line, for teaching me patience and reminding me of courtesy in this too-hasty, frantic world. 

And each time I give thanks, the image of the rosebud grows. "Thank you," I sing, as I hear from dear friends in this season, for the wonder of friendship. Not to mention the gratefulness I feel in the pleasure of planning a Thanksgiving Day feast for some of those same friends.

Most of all this time of year I remember with so much gratefulness the miracle that is life, with all the magic that life is capable of showing us. I shout out my gratitude for the marvels of living on this earth—capable of knowing—stars and starfish, icebergs and ice cream, mountains and microchips, dolphins and daisies. The earth and heavens, the majesty and mystery.

And I remember and give thanks for the Presence of Love. Love, tender and raging, always yearning and utterly complete.  Love that burns in our marrow, lures us into mystery, forgives us our folly, calls us unto greatness. Love that is ascending prayer and descending grace. Love that moves the sun and all the stars. Love, the heartbeat of Eternity.

And the rose in my heart grows and expands, capable of holding everything, experiencing everything.  And wanting to say only this, over and over again, "Thank you, thank you, thank you."

More on Jean

• Watch Jean Houston on "Super Soul Sunday" this weekend!
  
• Learn more about Jean at JeanHouston.org
• Jean's new book, The Wizard of Us, is available in stores. Read an excerpt.
  

Holiday prep wearing you down? Take a moment to celebrate the true spirit of Thanksgiving with this exercise Jean Houston adapted from her book, The Wizard of Us.

Then, tune in Sunday for Oprah and Jean's discussion at 11 a.m. ET/PT.

By Jean Houston

At Thanksgiving, we become so grateful for the blessings of our lives. We are grateful for the feast of life and for the gathering of our families and friends and for the goodness of life. But what if we were to expand this further, to fill our hearts and minds with gratitude for all that is, was and shall be?

To do this, sit comfortably with your feet on the floor. Close your eyes and take three deep, easy breaths in through your nose and out through your mouth, focusing on your heart. Feel its rhythmic beat. There is the space within your chest that your physical heart occupies, and then there is the space that your spiritual heart occupies that is all around you. Thank your heart for all of the beautiful work it does every moment to keep you alive.

As you continue to breathe in and out, imagine your heart gently expanding just a little bit. Our hearts hold memories and images, big and small. Think of your favorite spot in nature, a place where you feel strongly connected to the elements. What is around you? Is it warm or cool? Are there trees? Water? In your mind, look all around you; use all of your senses. Imagine this place in all of its expansive grandeur.

Shift in your focus now to one specific detail in the scene. It could be a golden honeybee on a blossom or a tiny curved shell on the beach. Fill your heart with other images from nature that you particularly love. Thank these things for blessing you.

Think now of any animals or live creatures you love or may have loved in the past—the equivalents of Toto for you. Picture them happy and healthy, romping, playing, purring. You might include wild beings you feel drawn to: wolves, ravens, dolphins or elephants. Imagine their warm fur, light shining on their feathers, their tails splashing the surface of the sea as they dive. Use all of your senses. What do they sound like? Smell like? Feel like? Fill your heart with images of these beloved creatures and thank them for blessing you.

Jean Houston is a thought leader, an anthropologist, a wisdom teacher—and the interviewee that caused Oprah to do something she's never done after an interview. "When I finished the interview, I asked for a transcript so I could actually process what had been said because the information and the aha's were coming so fast I couldn't even process it," Oprah says. "This is the first time this has ever happened to me."

Watch Oprah share why Jean is someone you have to experience for herself, and get a sneak peek of their conversation about the great potential everyone has the ability to achieve.