Kristi – this is beautiful, and for me frames the work of the Network for Grateful Living in such clear, accessible language. I especially like how you point out that this way of thinking, feeling and living is not “Pollyanna” – as that argument is one of the greatest points of resistance I feel from others as I try to share my own grateful approach to living. We are surrounded by so much cynicism and fear. So thanks for providing some language around this that I can easily share!

Thanks again – I plan to share this message widely. I am grateful for the Network for Grateful Living!

To me it means to recognize the divinity within all of us (not just those who share our values), and all of earth’s creature’s, including the earth herself, rocks, soil, water and so on. Living into this awareness and acting accordingly feels more important now than ever, as we continue to destroy each other and the earth that sustains us all.

In the words of Martin Luther King, Jr: “The whole of Scripture tells us that, in a world truly oriented toward God, we would be like Jesus: both carers and cared for, in a continual flow of love and respect and nurture among us all. The sheep, like people, need care, and the shepherd, like God, finds his or her purpose in caring. That relationship is the divine life, flowing like water among us all.” source: https://gracebrooklyn.org/11517-a-sermon-for-the-rev-dr-martin-luther-king/

Aren’t we all both shepherds and sheep each in our way? I pray that we can learn to be better stewards of this earth and each other… to assume reciprocity and responsibility in our relationships with each other and Mother Earth, rather than having an attitude of superiority and conquest. Rather than living from a stance of scarcity (take and keep), I aim to live from a stance of abundance (give and receive). Not always possible to do every second of every day…I am human after all…but certainly a possibility to live into.

I am glad the word “enemy” is in quotes, as like others who have responded here, it is not a word that is part of my own personal experience. I honestly can say that I do not have any enemies (that I am aware of, lol!) However, there are people who have inflicted great harm and what felt like dangerous and hateful deeds upon me. I am a survivor of domestic violence. I stayed in the relationship for a very long time…trying my best to put one foot in front of the other and support a very mentally ill person who also struggled with addiction, while at the same time raising my young children and going through cancer and then job loss myself. What my abuser taught me about love (and 5 years out and into safety I am still learning this lesson), actually has more to do with self love. That there comes a time when the right thing to do is to step away to safety however you can do it. And that the gradual process of letting go and self forgiveness does not mean you need to let this person back into your life. It also taught me empathy for others in my situation, and never to judge. Sometimes we simply feel trapped and cannot see a way out. He also taught me about the power of love of all of those people who surrounded me in their loving embrace and stepped up to help when I really needed it. Lesson learned: the power of giving and receiving with grace.

Finally, after 54 years of living, I am learning that making myself small serves no one, least of all me. The new powerful and shining me does not scare people away as I had feared; in fact quite the opposite is happening. And as I live and love, shining bright from a stance of gratitude and abundance, everything I give away comes back to me thousandfold, most especially love and gratitude. It doesn’t mean “bad” things stop happening, or that I don’t still experience the full range of emotions that come with challenges, but I am better able to accept and feel them without judging myself and let them pass through. Those feelings are no longer in the driver’s seat, but they are respected back seat passengers. Hard times have taught me much about blessings and the goodness in people, and the worse things got for me, the more grateful I became for the smallest blessings (which really were the hugest blessings…a smile or kind word spoken to me, my children, a helping hand, a flower blossoming, a purring cat, a bird at the feeder, a bite of food to eat, a sip of water, a roof over my head, clothes on my back, and access to clean sanitation, to name a few.) I am grateful for this new understanding of no longer making myself small. I do not regret that it took me so long to live into it. The old stories served me at the time, and I was always doing the best that I could. I have thanked them for their service and lovingly released them. I feel like the butterfly emerging from a dark tight cocoon, which I have been in for a very long time. But my new insights show me that very important transformations were at work in the darkness. And those transformations are allowing me not only to be more whole myself, but to begin to truly serve others on a whole new level, and to connect with what I was placed on this earth to do. Yours truly with a grateful heart – thank you for the opportunity to share.

Dear Ursula – thank you so much for sharing. I am so very glad my story could resonate with you…As a teacher of many years I have always tried to impart to my students that we all have a story, and a story which matters…and by sharing it we heal ourselves in the process of uncovering, and provide a light of hope for others, who may learn that they are not alone. It is high time I took some of my own medicine! lol…and I am so very grateful for the welcoming community here at demo.gratefulness.org. Thanks again for your words…light and love to you…spread those wings and fly! <3