Recently I met a couple, both teachers, whom we had the honor to be with in a group setting. Both loving, kind and wise in heart, these very experienced teachers were guiding us with great care and oversight through psychological and spiritual realms during a seminar. It was an extraordinary experience. They opened the door to insights and widened awareness in many of us, while they were accompanying us humbly and with great respect, teaching us to become aware, let go and open up. Such a gift they conveyed!
May they both be embedded in light and love, and may their hearts be always happy and at peace. I bow my head deeply in deep gratefulness to them.

In many places in nature; in fact, the list could be endless. Just some experiences added to the already mentioned:

recently there was a huge chestnut tree standing at a border to a valley, beautifully grown and freely unfolding its branches and leaves, providing peace and shelter to the place since so long.

In the desert, the vastness of emptiness before my eyes humbled me. It was overwhelmingly beautiful.

While walking through a field of alpine roses in the mountains in clear fresh air, viewing the breathtaking beauty of thousands of years old snow-covered mountains and a lake shimmering far below.

The silent beauty and that which nature spoke about in these situations was an overwhelming gift. I feel deeply grateful.

Like so many others here, I cherish the first cup of coffee, sitting at dawn outside on the bench and listen to the slow waking of the world, followed by meditating, and writing. These early hours in silence, gratefully welcoming the day, the sun, and all around.
But even so: being with you all here. Grateful for every morning with all of you who are sharing so warmly, kind and honest. So grateful to be part of it. And a big thank you to all of the Gratefulness-team for this precious gift, which you offer to us every day.

Wherever you are
I see beauty.
It hurts to the bones
to see you are lonely
or seeing you sad.

Our hearts hear the call through stillness,
always. Am I open enough to listen?
Are we together able to see
and walk the way which is not yet visible?

Faith to meet the still unknown
from moment to moment.
Trust in the hands we reach out to one another,
and leave behind what we need to let go.

To walk side by side, one heart.
Wherever you are, I see beauty.

If I can manage to become still in the midst of the challenging situation, there is space, and in this space there might appear an answer/ solution/ help of higher order, other than “I” could think of, which may widen the view and open the door to expansion and embracing whatever appears to go through the challenge in a good way.

Another way for me is when I understand afterwards, why a challenging situation was may be meant to be. It then may lead to becoming aware and let go of obstacles hindering unfolding consciousness and awareness. Lately it happened for example when unconscious ego-needs were needed to be integrated in a larger scope.

Another way to open my heart and mind is expressed in the word for the day, which is joy.
This weekend was full of joy for me. While being together with many others – a “simple” situation, which could easily become a challenge for me, there was stillness and space and deep joy to simply be fully present and of service when needed.

With gratefulness and love for the beauty and uniqueness that each “other” is. With respect for the difficulties each one has to face and to overcome, and with an open heart to embrace all which is.
Sorry that I needed to be off for some time, and may be the reason was that I excluded myself through excluding. Work in process now. With gratefulness for all your comments which help so much to become aware more of what is essential. Have a good day all you visible or invisible people who join here, and thank you so much.

If I may say so, there is understanding and view now onto old “negative” habits of mind, which I need to become constantly aware of and replace this with joy and love. They have been an obstacle to really open up and fully join you who are giving all your heart for creating a better world, where peace, food, clean water and shelter is there for each and everyone, and where each one is respected and loved unconditionally. Please forgive me where I failed. The process has deepened my understanding and has opened me to the core of vulnerability.

Very softly, a perspective becomes alive inside of me now, which leads me to beg and pray for being accepted to share with you and be allowed to live this dream with all my heart and all my being with you all together. Thanks for all your sharing here, it means such a lot.

Thank you, dear Kristi, for sharing these insights of yours. They give hope that training the mind through gratefulness and meditation could be a way out of never-ending vicious circles of imprinted “negative” neuronal fixations that always lead to negative results only.
Especially that it is possible to become able to carry these well trained useful and grateful patterns of mind through to a powerful destination and so may be becoming supportive for the whole is really inspiring, and consoling. It inspires to again hop aboard where hope is about to slip away. Such a gift. Thank you so much!

If ever possible, I try to go with the flow and observe where it leads me to. Means with the flow of observing the conflict, my emotional involvement, try to stay as balanced as possible in this and give space a chance to guide me and let next steps arise from beyond by staying open and alert for still moments.
This I feel is taking consideration with each part, mine, the other one`s and the beyond´s greater view and to go for the best way to deal with the conflict, which respects all concerned.

To keep this in mind helps to be more kind and respectful with the wounds and battles of the other and as well with my own ones. To meet everyone`s battles with respect, care and loving kindness is giving space to viewing the problems with compassion, including my own. This is work in progress and a very timely question for me. It opens the heart even wider, for the pain of the other and as well for being compassionate with myself, too. Starting from compassionate acceptance of the realizing that everyone is facing some kind of battle, then this might be a starting point for a possible change. It is the awareness of our interconnection as well in this that helps, emotionally as well as in deeds, if support is required and welcome.

It is amazing and mysterious how the thread of life connects all parts and makes them work together in harmony, in many organs even without any awareness. But without the heart, nothing would be alive, the heart with its two sides and four chambers which moves and is moved by love. For this being alive, for being able to learn to open up where my heart is still closed, I am deeply grateful.
May we all open up to the possible kind and harmonious interconnection, which our body reflects, including myself.

Like Kevin mentioned, in countless ways of being supported. In this the love of the beloved and friends are especially heartwarming and directly echoing back in me, but it is as well the countless other encounters that support me and all of us, from the people cleaning the streets to the plants, healing plants or plants giving joy through their delightful scent, or the happiness when watching the hedgehog curiously exploring our garden. I am deeply grateful for being alive among all this beauty and kindly embracing it with loving care.