Gratitude is the best attitude

Gratitude is the best attitude.  Author unknown


Tomorrow morning I will be heading out to a meditation  retreat for a week .    In this type of mediation we focus on praise, gratitude, love and compassion.  I am grateful l that I have found meditation in my life which  has led me to my awareness of gratitude.  So while I am gone, I will focus on being grateful for all my experiences on the retreat: for the wonderful fellow mediators and teachers; for the joy and laughter;  for the wonderful setting; for the food prepared by others; for the ever expanding stillness and silence.  To any of you who are reading this post - I will not be  posting again until after August 7th.  I am grateful for your presence  on this blog - just by reading the posts I feel that we are growing gratitude together. 

Gratitude is  indeed the best attitude - it enriches our life and make us aware of how abundant our life really is.

In gratitude,
Marg

Getting even

The only people with whom you should try to get even, are those who have helped you.  John E. Southard

What a refreshing idea!  Our world seems to be caught up in the culture of getting even. From decades long family feuds, to border wars (getting back what was taken), getting even seems to be an undercurrent in many conflicts.  Revenge is a  common way of getting even and has a dark side to it.  We can become consumed  by revenge and it can colour our lives with hate - a downward-spiralling emotion. We not only hurt the other person, but also hurt ourselves in the process.  Revenge holds a  certain fascination for us - there is even a TV show called "Revenge". This culture of getting even or revenge at a personal level is harmful enough, but taken to a global level can have  tremendous consequences.

How refreshing  it would be if we decided to "get even " only with those who have helped us - kind of like a good deeds "ping-pong"!.  The concept of "paying it back" or paying it forward"  is gaining momentum.  How different our world would be if we spent our energies trying  to "pay back" a good deed. We would focus more on  the "good things" that have happened to us  and we would be grateful for them. Our world would be a more harmonious place and our lives would be happier, filled with  gratitude  - an upward-spiralling emotion.

In gratitude for  all the good deeds that have come my way,
Margaret

Gratitude unexpressed

There is no such thing as gratitude unexpressed, if it is unexpressed, it is plain old-fashioned ingratitude. Robert Brault


When I read this quote - it made me stop and think.  At first it seemed rather harsh, and then, as I read it again, I started to reflect about what it meant to me.  If someone gave me a gift and I didn't say thank you, that would be ingratitude.  That is clear and easy. What about the rest?  I write a lot about being present in the moment and appreciating the wonders of nature etc.  That is pretty easy too - when you notice a glorious sunset, it is easy to appreciate it and be grateful.  What about  tougher things? What about the gift of life?  How often do I express gratitude for my life?  Do I feel grateful for being alive - or do I focus on the problems in my life?   What about the  tough times in my life - times that teach me valuable life lessons and help me grow?  Do  I grumble and complain about how tough things are, or do I see the silver lining and be grateful that I have survived  the storm and have grown?   And to whom do I express this gratitude?  For me it is God, the universe or source.  If I don't give thanks to God for my life - then I am  indeed ungrateful. Let's be grateful for the gift of life and approach each day as a present to be unwrapped, enjoyed and appreciated. 

This is a tall order to fill, and I have a long way to go to get there, but I think I am headed in the right direction .

In gratitude,
Marg

"God's country".

"We can only be said to be alive in those moments when our hearts are conscious of our treasures." - Thornton Wilder

Today I thought I'd "paint" a photo collage  of some of the "treasures"  in my life.  I travelled  by car quite a bit in  my former job .  It was on these long drives that I became aware of the beauty and wonder of nature in my own "backyard".  We often refer to our region as "God's country"  - it is breathtaking  in  it's beauty. As I drove those highways,  a sense wonder, appreciation and aliveness accompanied me along  the way.  I'd like to share that  with you today.
In gratitude
Marg

Not just another day

"You think that this is just another day in your life .  It is not just another day.  It is the one day that is given to you today.  It is given to you - it's a gift.  It is the only gift you have right now,   and the only appropriate response is gratefulness .

 Source: http://www.ted.com/ta/louie_schwartzberg_nature_beauty_gratitude.html

I was truly  alive today.  I went to my sister's camp/cottage on the lake and the day was marvelous - warm weather, a good breeze, sunny skies,  puffy clouds and then darker clouds and stronger winds.  I went to swim in the water and the waves picked up - I felt fresh, rejuvenated, energized, so alive, so much a part of it all.  It was truly just another day... and, just as any other day, when we are aware of all the gifts or wonders that surround us,  it becomes an amazing day!

 I  appreciate the gift of today.  I am grateful for my sister and her husband's generosity -  always welcoming me to come  and spend time by the lake.  To the universe for providing such a splendid gift, Thank you, Merci, Danke schon!

The website mentioned above features a talk on the marvels of nature and gratefulness - well worth visiting!

In gratitude,

Marg

If you have lived...

If you have lived take thankfully the past.  John Dryden

An acquaintance of mine just passed away two days ago.  She was the same age as me.   Brain cancer.  She had a hard life, having been in a serious car accident about 20 years ago with lots of pain  from hip replacements and mended bones.  She  took it all in stride,  enjoyed her life and showed her dogs, changing to a smaller breed so she could manage  the dog in  the show ring at a slower pace.  Yesterday my sister's friend's daughter,  around 20 years of age just passed away suddenly and unexpectedly.  She was in foster care   and obviously had a tough start on life.  If we were to ask these two people with about 40 years difference in age, I think they both would say that they were grateful to have lived, regardless of the troubles they had in their past.    And I am sure that they both would have wanted to continue living.

 I can look back on the tough times in my life and bemoan the fact that my life was not as easy as other's.  I could   compare and wish that things were different ...  but I have lived  a good life,  much easier than most of the people on this planet who struggle for day to day survival.  Life is so much easier and freer when we focus on what  is good, when we focus on the present moment and live it fully.

Give thanks for the past for it has brought us to where we are now, but there is no need to dwell on it and relive past hurts and hardships.  Live fully, freely and gratefully  now.

In gratitude for my life,
Marg