86,400 seconds

God gave you a gift of 86,400 seconds today.  Have you used one to say "thank you"?   William  A. Ward

My life is bound by time - I am always checking my watch . Am I on time?  Am I late.? What time  is that TV program on?  Even when I wake up in the middle of the night , I check to see what time it is.  I am not sure what the point of that is.... 

How have I spent those 86,400 seconds each day?  A good portion of it is sleeping, working, eating, relaxing , socializing etc.  But it takes  just a second to say thank you to someone, which could light up their day.  It just takes a second to notice the beauty of a sunset, to appreciate it  and say "that you " to God, to the universe,  to all that is - whichever word means something to you.  How much richer would my life be if I spent a tiny  fraction of those 86,400 seconds in gratitude?  Even if I voiced  or felt a moment  of gratitude every 10 minutes for my 16 waking hours each day  (which seems like a lot) - that would be 96 moments of gratitude or 96 seconds and that would still leave me 86,304 seconds to do all the rest of my living.  Makes me think about how I am using my time.

In gratitude,
Marg

Gratitude flows like a river

 Gratitude flows like a river

Gratitude flows like a river

across the parched earth

bringing life and lush promise

where it flows.

a gratitude poem by

Marg

 

Flood waters

We have had an unusual amount of heavy rains the past few days.  Many  homes have been flooded and in a certain part of town, people have had to be evacuated, as sewage water has backed up  sometimes 4 feet into their basements.  Citizens have been asked to limit the use dishwashers,  and not to shower or flush in order to  reduce the amount of water going to the sewage  treatments plants as one plant has been flooded and is not functioning.  Some roads have been washed out and closed.


I have some water in my basement but not a lot and for this I am grateful.  Restricting the  use of water in the house has given me a new appreciation for all the modern conveniences we have in our home. I have been slightly inconvenienced in my home for a few days  and I know that  in other countries, clean running water isn't even available.  I realize  how privileged we are here in North America.  What we take for granted on a daily basis here, would be  a dreamt of luxury in other countries.  Just as I can't fathom how people in the third world manage on a day to day basis, I suppose they can't imagine living in the luxury we have here.

Ever so grateful for the life I have,
Margaret                                                                     
Pictures from www.theweathernetwork.com

Butterflies

I have been seeing lots of butterflies early this year as I work in my gardens.  Reminds me of a poem I wrote  while falling asleep, after I had read a number of poems by Hafiz. 

O, To Be Like The Butterfly

O, to be like the butterfly

flitting here

                        and there

in the bright morning sun,

Tasting the nectar

of the beauty

that surrounds us.

Life is all about tasting the nectar and being grateful for all that the universe provides.

Ever grateful,

Marg

The Station

I was cleaning out some files today and came across a story by Robert Hastings called " The Station ".  He compares our life to a long trip by train ,  absentmindedly seeing the countryside  but waiting  impatiently to reach the next station or  final destination .  We put our happiness on hold  until we reach those "stations" in life:  "When I am18.  When I buy a new 450SL Mercedes Benz.  When I put the last kid through college.  When I have paid off my mortgage!  When I get a promotion".    We are so preoccupied about getting to the destination, or station that we don't appreciate the journey.    As Robert  says :"Sooner or later we must realize  that there is no station, no one place to arrive at once and for all.  The true joy of life is the trip.  The station is only a dream.  It constantly outdistances us.  Relish the moment is a good motto".   He advises us to "climb more mountains, go barefoot more often, swim more rivers, watch more sunsets, laugh more , cry less.  Life must be lived as we go along."

Good advice! Notice  and enjoy all the little things along the voyage and the wonders on the way:  amazing sunsets, expansive wheat fields,  towering mountains,  sparkling waters , colourful flowers... Be grateful for all these and more  -  the destination will arrive soon enough. 

In gratitude,
Marg

On top of the world

This past weekend I went to Minneapolis with  a group of people for a meditation retreat.  The retreat was held in a condominium building. Our sessions were on the 22nd floor and we  could  meditate  on an outdoor patio on that  floor.  The view was fantastic.  I felt  "on top of the world" both figuratively and literally! 

I am so grateful for :

• the friends I travelled with
• Jerry who arranged to book the condo for us
• our meditation teachers
• conversations shared
• laughter and joy
• good food and wine 
• the gift of this mediation teaching
• the ever expanding stillness.

In gratitude,
Marg

Celebrating 90 years

Yesterday was my mother's 90th birthday and we had a a celebration at the long term care facility where she lives. Mom has Alzheimer's  and seems like a different person than the  mother we grew up with.  In this post I would like to honour  mom and show gratitude for all that she has done for me.  She was kind, sensible and hard working. She taught by actions and didn't "preach".  I don 't think I would be the person I am today if it weren't for her.

 I am grateful for the following gifts she gave me throughout life:

• she treated all 3 daughters equally
• she put us before herself
• she always  made sure I had the biggest piece of cake :-))
• when times got tough she opened her home to me, my son and a 130 pound dog
• she let me live with her as long as I needed to get back on my feet and never complained
• she encouraged us all to get a higher education
• she gave me a  strong spiritual foundation
• she never judged me
• she accepted me as I was
• she never said "I told you so" when I made a mistake

Thank you mom for always  being there for me .
Ever in gratitude,
Marg