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Gratefulness
Its a cold snowy day…. I think I need to buy flowers for someone today….
Stop/ breathe/listen…. then do it all again.
The question for me is not so much how, but WILL I make space for silence today? Everything I have read this morning has mentioned the praise that occurs with silence… I think I am getting the message!
So glad I followed the path to find your story… lovely. I have felt that power and presence from a tree…. thank you for articulating it so well.
Forest bathing… a pleasure I do not do often enough! Just to think about walking among the trees can bring me peace and pleasure: to drink in the variety, the beauty, the serenity… to see the knots and gnarls in the trunks and know they are not too much different from the knots and bumps in my own life of growing! There is a tree close to where I live now – that I sometimes just stand by, touch – and feel grounded. We are moving soon and I will miss “my t...
Forest bathing… a pleasure I do not do often enough! Just to think about walking among the trees can bring me peace and pleasure: to drink in the variety, the beauty, the serenity… to see the knots and gnarls in the trunks and know they are not too much different from the knots and bumps in my own life of growing! There is a tree close to where I live now – that I sometimes just stand by, touch – and feel grounded. We are moving soon and I will miss “my tree”…. and wonder where I will find the next root of comfort and solace? There are also three large pines that stand in a field and they bring me pleasure just by their arrangement. They make me think of “3 Pines” the fictitious place in the novels by Louise Penny …. Now I want to go sit under a tree and read!
Humility … its a long story…. but I am learning to accept what I can do, offer, contribute and tho it does not feel like much it IS what I can do and I am learning to accept that…
I would try to live every moment with no regret, get rid of stuff so no one else has to deal with it, write love notes to my family and friends.
Maybe a smile, or a small gesture like calling the grocery store clerk by name… a way of saying ” I see you and you matter”…. This is an interesting question as I often struggle with having high expectations for my self and others… and it gets me in trouble again and again. I liked the comment from someone who said ” nothing… we share life and everything in it”… something to ponder.
The authors that I read and learn from, the people who support my ability to eat and drink and drive a car and manage life… the people who run websites and produce ways to learn and live happily …. wow – the list is endless.
When the longing is for non tangible it helps me to take stock: if I long for peace, what am I doing to promote it. If I long for justice, what am I willing to do to bring that to fruition; if I long for a closer relationship with God, how willing am I to invest the time for study and contemplation. When I long for “stuff” it creates chaos…. yet it still happens more often than I care to admit. You’d think I’d learn….
Kindness and the awareness that everyone has a story….. be ready to listen if they are ready to talk…
Just the idea that we can be part of a world wide community through technology is amazing and cause for wonder! Maybe recognizing this and appreciating it as extraordinary will help me not get frustrated when there are glitches!
Walking through the muddy waters on Holy Island…. everything dropped away….
Walking on the Island of Iona, sitting on the bench outside the Abby.
I have offered forgiveness to a family member – and learned that though offered it does not mean that it is accepted or that things will ever be the same. Sometimes you just have to let go and move on and trust that the Holy One will work in both your hearts to bring you peace.
My parents come to mind immediately, but so too the name of my x husband… does that sound weird? We were married for 20 years, divorced since 2005. He passed away just 9 months ago and despite our differences and struggles I had the privileged of spending considerable time with him before his death. Sometimes he knew I was there – and who I was – other times, not so much. He was a dark soul who struggled to find joy in life; but he gave me the opportunity to be a mother...
My parents come to mind immediately, but so too the name of my x husband… does that sound weird? We were married for 20 years, divorced since 2005. He passed away just 9 months ago and despite our differences and struggles I had the privileged of spending considerable time with him before his death. Sometimes he knew I was there – and who I was – other times, not so much. He was a dark soul who struggled to find joy in life; but he gave me the opportunity to be a mother – the greatest gift in the world for me – and so to him and for him I will always offer gratitude.
I am a day late looking at this question but am so inspired by the responses… such simple acts of loving kindness and presence to people in your lives….. a beautiful way to serve.
I am grateful for presence, a good sense of humor, courage to hold the mirror up when I need a good look at myself and the ability and willingness to be a good listener.
With hope and intention: to be more kind and compassionate to the world in this new year – tread lightly, use resources more carefully, share more generously….
This is such a lovely idea. I too struggle with the thought of resolutions… so easily forgotten or mangled within just a few days or weeks. I am a very “visual” person so this is just perfect and a great reminder of the intention(s) I would like to live and welcome into my life. Thank you for sharing this idea.
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