Gratitude in Action

FAITH IS SPELLED A-C-T-I-O-N.  I know I have fiath when I take action and I see my faith begin to grow!

Running for Gratitude!

Today and always, I let joy be my compass. When choosing a direction in life, I chose the path of my heart. Do what you love, follow your bliss.

 

Fun is an underestimated emotion in our culture. We are told as children, "If you waste time, having fun, you won't get anything serious accomplished." Yet most successful people describe their work is always more productive.  As one executive remarked, "The more I enjoy my work, the more efficent I become."

 

Joy and laughter improve the quality of our relationships. Laughing a difficult situations fosters detachment and perspective.  It is only when we get too serious that trouble arises.  (Taken from an excerpt from a Hazelden reading).

RELEASE THE NEED FOR EGO

EGO = Easing God Out. I have constant conflicts that make me human. One is the need to release my EGO, that impulse that makes me judge myself and unilaterally decide if I am better or worse than someone else. The ego tells me that I am separate from everyone else, and more than anything, it fears I am living an inspired life. Why? Because when I am living a spiritual or "in-spirited" life, I have no need for teh ego and have no illusion of being the false self. Therefore, the ego has no influence over me!!!

Each One of Us is Better than Everyone else at One Thing

We have been told that we are like snow flakes; each one of us unique and individually special.  But  I believe something much more radical. I believe that each one of us is better than the entire world at one particular thing.  It is amazing that I am better than the entire world at one thing. But just so I don't become too egotistical, I need to also remember that every single person - everyone is better than me at one thing as well.  So when I see someone that I may begin to judge harshly, I need to remember that the person I may judge is better than me at one thing - at least!!

Most People Believe that the Brave have No Fear; the Truth is that They are Intimate with It - Pema Chodron

"We can do anything for just one day. So, just for today, let us be unafraid, unafraid of life,unafraid of death, which is the shadow of life; unafraid to be happy, unafraid to enjoy the beautiful, to believe the best.
Just for today let us live one day only, forgetting yesterday and tomorrow, and not trying to solve the whole problem of life at one.

Being Grateful

Be thankful for what you have; you will end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don't have, you will never, ever have enough - Oprah Winfrey.

If a fellow is not thankful for what he's got, he is not likely to be thankful for what he's going to get - Frank A. Clark.

To live a life of gratitude is to open our eyes to the countless ways in which we are supported by the world around us. Such a life provides less space for our suffering because our attention is more balanced. We are more often occupied with noticing what we are given, thanking those who have helped us, and repaying the world in some concrete way for what we are receiving. - Greg Krech.

The unthankful heart discovers no mercies; bu the thankful heart will find, in every hour, some heavenly blessings. - Henry Ward Beecher.

Live Life - All I Have Is Now

All I Have Is Now - I can only live now, this moment. I cannot erase the mistakes I made yesterday or bring back the good times I had. I cannot know what tomorrow will require of me, nor can I ensure future security and happiness. Now is what I have, and now is everything. I can follow a plan now. I can abstain this moment. I can deal with my problems, which confront me today as best I can, trusting God to guide me. I can be in touch with my God only in the present.  As I focus on the present moment, we live it deeper, and we derive a satisfaction that we did not know when we were regretting the past and worrying about the future. Whatever happens, now is all I can manage and all I need.  I am grateful for this present moment.

Seeking God in Silence

This is a beautifully simple poem by Josepha Van Liesbout -

Blessed

The stars will come out

A new dawn will rise

Day will pass once more to night

And the passing hours

Bring us another morning

To breathe freely

In knowing that we are

Blessed

Meditation

November is the month of gratitude, but it is also the month of prayer and meditation. For me, meditation is a silent adventure...an adventure into my soul. I sit each morning in silence and darkness for 10-20 minutes and clear my mind through a word such as "peace" or "gua" or "om" to focus. Meditation to me is focus. If I lose to win, keep it by giving it away and surrender to succeed, then I gain wisdom and guidance by emptying my heart and mind so that it can be divinely filled...

TUT - The Universe...

I was introduced to a great website - www.tut.com. TUT stands for Thoughts Unto Things. In other words, thoughts become things. Quite honestly, I don't always understand the nature of every day affirmation, but what I love about the message each day is that they are always positive, always hopeful, never obvious, except that they may seem obvious...It is difficult to explain. Also, I am not sure I believe everything that is said. Still, the exercise of looking at something positive so differently is a very good one and I remain willing to CHANGE. CHANGE - Choosing Honesty Allows New Growth Everyday.

Choosing Joy

Joy is what makes life worth living, but for many joy seems hard to find.  They complain that their lives are sorrowful and depressing.  Strang as it amy sound, we can choose joy.  Two people can be part of the same event, but one may choose to live it quite differently than the other.  One may choose to trust that what happened, painful as it may be, holds a promise.  The other may choose despair and be destroyed by it. - Henri Nouwen

November - The Month of Gratitude

BE THANKFUL!!!
Be thankful that you don't already have everything you desire. 
If you did, what would there be to look forward to? 
Be thankful when you don't know something for it gives you an opportunity to learn.
Be thankful for the difficult times - during these times you grow.
Be thankful for your limitations because thy give you opportunities for improvement.
Be thankful for each new challenge because it will build your strength and character.
Be thankful for your mistakes; they will teach you valuable lessons.
Be thankful when you're tired and weary because it means you've made a difference.
It is easy to be thankful for the good things.
A life of rich fulfillment comes to those who are also thankful for set backs.
Gratitude can turn a negative into a positive.
Find a way to be thankful for your troubles and they can become your blessings.
-Author Unknown