Goethe and Gratitude

"Go to foreign countries and you will get to know the good things one possesses at home." - Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe 

This quote reminded me of the times I spent In France  when I was a student.  I loved living in France - totally enjoying the food,  immersed in  the culture etc.  However it was then that I  also realized all the good things I had at home that I took for granted.  Sometimes it is only when we no longer have something , that we fully  appreciate it.  I remember craving peanut butter of all things!  I didn't know how much I enjoyed it until I couldn't find it in France.  I hope to appreciate and be grateful for all that I have living here.  Appreciate it now and not wait for it to be gone in order to realize how special someone or something was.  Live each moment fully, gratefully and you will see how abundant life really is.

In gratitude,

Margaret

Dawn's Prayer

 I was reading  a few pages from a small book by June Cotner entitled Serenity Prayers.  I felt this one echoed my sentiments.

Every morning is a prayer
as the world unfolds to reveal the
ordinary as miracle.

I pray to be a witness to wonder.
To notice that the simplest things
are blessings bestowed.

                                       Right this moment
                                       I am alive with the gratitude
                                       awareness has granted.
                                                                Jean Bass

Gardening

I was just web surfing  and came across the Eckhart Tolle site and read an inspirational story from Colleen Mackay.Even though my little garden is dormant under the snow, reading this passage wonderfully expressed my appreciation for all that bounty of food that will come to my table in the summer months.  I eagerly wait in anticipation for that first green shoot that will peek through the earth in a couple of months!
 Here is an excerpt form her story. 


"The satisfaction I’m deriving from a little sweat, a little effort and a lot of seed catalogues can’t be measured by my bank account or my shoes. By digging deep into the earth and creating a space of calm growth, riotous in its abundance, I’m connecting back to my own soul in a way I’d been missing.
I’ve stopped repeatedly throughout the process of creating this space and expressed my gratitude to the earth for allowing me to use its nourishment, for the sun that warms not only my skin but my sprouts, and for the simple fact that I am able to just be in this place, at this time. The simple act of being present, drinking in the scents of the garden and allowing myself to acknowledge it has reset something within me I didn’t know was off balance". Colleen McKay  http://communications.eckharttolle.com/newsletter/2012/02/digging-deep/

In gratitude for my humble garden,
Marg

When eating bamboo sprouts...

When eating bamboo sprouts  remember the man who planted them.  Chinese proverb

 Well I came down with a bad head cold yesterday -easy to feel miserable but I am grateful that I don't have to work and can just lounge around the house and take it easy.  Got take-out Thai food for supper: green  mango salad, pad thai, spring rolls, and pork satay. It tasted so delicious  and the best part was that I didn't have to cook it!  I am grateful for all those who made this wonderful meal possible, from the farmers,  to the merchants and to the wonderful cooks who prepared the meal.  It is so easy  to forget all the work that has gone into bringing the food to our table. Do we think of the truck drivers who transport the food, the packers who pack the goods before they are shipped to the restaurant, the  workers in factories who make the containers?  How many hands have worked so that I could enjoy and savour this wonderful meal?  No doubt more than I can imagine.  Thank you all!

With appreciation,
Marg