A Prayerful Life

The question now arises how to attain to this prayerful attitude in life.
In the first place, for those whose prayer is one of praise, if their whole life is to assume a prayerful attitude, they must carry this praise and gratitude into the smallest details of life, and feel grateful for the slightest act of kindness done to them by anybody.
Man falls very short of this ideal in life.
He is so stiff, he misses so many of the chances of giving thanks.
It is sometimes because of his riches, while at other times he is blinded by his power.
All that is done for him he thinks is his due because of his money or his influence.
When a man has been able to attain this attitude of praise and thanksgiving for all things in life, then his life may indeed be called a prayerful life.

Pir-o-Murshid Inayat Khan

Gratitude

Gratitude takes nothing for granted,
is never unresponsive, is constantly awakening
to new wonder and to praise of the goodness of God.

Thomas Merton
Thoughts in Solitude

"This is as good as it gets."

Baxter Black is a Cowboy Poets and this video is his "cowboy" way of saying "thanks" for everything.

Happy Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is truly an unique American holiday.  Each year we celebrate this special day by feasting and visiting with friends and family.  But most of all, Thanksgiving is the one day of the year when we should reflect on the good life we have in this marvelous land and give thanks for all we have and all we have become.

We know every year that more Americans travel on the long Thanksgiving weekend than at any other time of year.  But they aren't going away; they're going home.  And this is only fitting.

Thanksgiving began with a voyage of brave and noble people seeking a free life.

Although there are so many myths about the original Thanksgiving, we can be sure of some thing.  We can be sure that the Pilgrims did not celebrate Thanksgiving after completing their voyage.  They certainly gave thanks for the successfully crossing a tempestuous ocean.  But the first real Thanksgiving didn't come until a year later.

That first Thanksgiving was celebrated by a tiny band of survivors who thanked God for allowing them to live through the previous year of travails during which half their company perished, while the survivors scavenged for food and fought that long winter's perilous, numbing cold.

As we sit down to our Thanksgiving dinner this year with family and friends, let's remember those indomitable men and women who persevered, who refused to give up.  Who gave no thought of returning to England on the Mayflower and abandoning their little colony.

Their little colony became the cornerstone of a great Nation.

Let us give thanks for the spirit those inspiring pioneers planted in this land, and for all the bounty we share today.  Let this Thanksgiving remind us of our debt to a heroic past and our duty to build for the generations to come.

Let us also remember the men and women in uniform today serving around the world and offer thanks to them and their families for their sacrifice.

About a half a century ago, two song writers, Robert Allen and Al Stillman, wrote about the year-end holiday.  Although they lumped Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's together, many of us believe their song describes perfectly the family holiday Thanksgiving has become.  They wrote:

Oh, there's no place like home for the holidays
'Cause no matter how far away you roam
When you pine for the sunshine of a friendly face
For the holidays, you can't beat Home, sweet home

I met a man who lives in Tennessee
And he was headin' for Pennsylvania
And some home made pumpkin pie
From Pennsylvania folks a travelin' down
To Dixie's sunny shore
From Atlantic to Pacific, gee
The traffic is terrific

Oh there's no place like home for the holidays,
'Cause no matter how far away you roam
If you want to be happy in a million ways
For the holidays, you can't beat home, sweet home

 

I hope that you will be happy in a million ways and that you'll be home for the holidays – in your memories and prayers if nothing else.

I wish all of you a safe and happy Thanksgiving

Gratitude & Letting Go

Gratitude is larger than life.

One day, a friend called me on the phone.
He was going through a difficult time and wondering if and when things would ever turn around and improve.
I knew he was in a lot of pain, I didn't know then that he was considering suicide.

"If you could give a person only one thing to help them," he said, "what would it be?"

I thought carefully about his question, and then I replied, "It's not one thing, it's two: gratitude and letting go."
Gratitude for everything, not just the things we consider good or a blessing.
And letting go of everything we can't change.

A few years have passed since that day my friend called me on the phone.
His life has turned around. His financial problems have sorted themselves out.
His career has shifted.
The two very large problems he was facing at that time have both sorted themselves out.

Someone once asked the artist Georgia O'Keeffe why her paintings magnified the size of small objects - the petals on a flower - making them appear larger than life, and reduced the size of large objects - like mountains - making them smaller than life. 
"Everyone sees the big things," she said. "But these smaller things are so beautiful and people might not notice them if I didn't emphasize them."

That's the way it is with gratitude and letting go.
It's easy to see the problems in our lives.
They're like mountains. But sometimes we overlook the smaller things; we don't notice how truly beautiful they are.

God, teach me to use gratitude and letting go to reduce the size of my problems.

More Language of Letting Go by Melody Beattie

 

Life Is What You Make It

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2I0DRk8dFjI

Sometimes life knocks you down.  

You find excuses for your situation.  

You wonder “Why me?”  

Take a moment to view this short video of an incredible man who made a choice.

One To Learn From . . .

There was a blind girl who hated herself because she was blind.

She hated everyone, except her loving boyfriend.

He was always there for her.

She told her boyfriend, 'If I could only see the world, I will marry you.'

One day, someone donated a pair of eyes to her.

When the bandages came off, she was able to see everything, including her boyfriend.

He asked her, 'Now that you can see the world, will you marry me?'

The girl looked at her boyfriend and saw that he was blind.

The sight of his closed eyelids shocked her.

She hadn't expected that.

The thought of looking at them the rest of her life led her to refuse to marry him.

Her boyfriend left in tears and days later wrote a note to her saying: 'Take good care of your eyes, my dear, for before they were yours, they were mine.'

This is how the human brain often works when our status changes.

Only a very few remember what life was like before, and who was always by their side in the most painful situations.

Life is a gift.

Today before you say an unkind word --
Think of someone who can't speak.

Before you complain about the taste of your food --
Think of someone who has nothing to eat.

Before you complain about your husband or wife --
Think of someone who's crying out to GOD for a companion.

Today before you complain about life --
Think of someone who went too early to heaven.

Before whining about the distance you drive --
Think of someone who walks the same distance with their feet.

And when you are tired and complain about your job --
Think of the unemployed, the disabled, and 

those who wish they had your job.

And when depressing thoughts seem to get you down --
Put a smile on your face and think: you're alive and still around.

 

 

A Time For Gratitude & New Beginnings

Thanksgiving comes to us out of the prehistoric dimness, universal to all ages and all faiths.

At whatever straws we must grasp, there is always a time for gratitude and new beginnings.

J. Robert Moskin

 

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Unending Thanksgiving

May your heart be an altar, from which the bright flame of unending thanksgiving ascends to heaven.

 

St. Mary Euphrasia Pelletier
Embrace the World

 

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Jealousy

When we truly enjoy God's unlimited generosity, we will be grateful for what our brothers and sisters receive.

Jealous will simply have no place in our hearts.

Henri Nouwen

 

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The Professional

A woman was at work when she received a phone call that her small daughter was very sick with a fever. She left her work and stopped by the pharmacy to get some medication. She got back to her car and found that she had locked her keys in the car. She didn't know what to do, so she called home and told the baby sitter what had happened.

The baby sitter told her that the fever was getting worse. She said, "You might find a coat hanger and use that to open the door."

The woman looked around and found an old rusty coat hanger that had been left on the ground, possibly by someone else who at some time had locked their keys in their car. She looked at the hanger and said, "I don't know how to use this."

She bowed her head and asked God to send her help. Within five minutes a beat up old motorcycle pulled up, with a dirty, greasy, bearded man who was wearing an old biker skull rag on his head.

The woman thought, "This is what you sent to help me?" But, she was desperate, so.... She was also very thankful.

The man got off of his cycle and asked if he could help. She said, "Yes, my daughter is very sick. I stopped to get her some medication and I locked my keys in my car. I must get home to her. Please, can you use this hanger to unlock my car?"

He said, "Sure." He walked over to the car, and in less than a minute the car was opened.

She hugged the man and through her tears she said, "Thank you so much! You are a very nice man."

The man replied, "Lady, I am not a nice man. I just got out of prison today. I was in prison for car theft and have only been out for about an hour."

The woman hugged the man again and with sobbing tears cried out loud,

"Oh, Thank you God!
You even sent me a professional!"

शिप्व्रेक्केद इन साउथ कैरोलाइना

I Am Thankful . . .

I am thankful:

For the wife who says it's hot dogs tonight, because she is home with me, and not out with someone else.

For the husband who is on the sofa being a couch potato, because he is home with me and not out at the bars.

For the teenager who is complaining about doing dishes because it means she is at home, not on the streets.

For the taxes I pay because it means I am employed.

For the mess to clean after a party because it means I have been surrounded by friends.

For the clothes that fit a little too snug because it means I have enough to eat.

For my shadow that watches me work because it means I am out in the sunshine.

For a lawn that needs mowing, windows that need cleaning, and gutters that need fixing because it means I have a home.

For all the complaining I hear about the government because it means we have freedom of speech.

For the parking spot I find at the far end of the parking lot because it means I am capable of walking and I have been blessed with transportation.

For my huge heating bill because it means I am warm.

For the lady behind me in church who sings off key because it means I can hear.

For the pile of laundry and ironing because it means I have clothes to wear.

For weariness and aching muscles at the end of the day because it means I have been capable of working hard.

For the alarm that goes off in the early morning hours because it means I am alive.

Unexpected Gifts

As life becomes harder and more threatening,

it also becomes richer,

because the fewer expectations we have,

the more good things of life become

unexpected gifts that we accept with gratitude.

Etty Hillesum

An Interrupted Life

Highest Appreciation

As we express our gratitude,
we must never forget that the highest appreciation
is not to utter words, but to live by them.
John Fitzgerald Kennedy

The Flame Within

At times our own light goes out and

is rekindled by a spark from another person.

Each of us has cause to think with

deep gratitude of those who have

lighted the flame within us.

Albert Schweitzer

Infinite Value

A long life is a blessing when it is well lived and leads to gratitude, wisdom, and sanctity.

But some people can live truly full lives even when their years are few.

As we see so many young people die of cancer and AIDS let us do everything possible to show our friends that, though their lives may be short, they are of infinite value.

Henri Nouwen

Visit HenriNouwen.org for more inspiration!

T-Bone Steaks, Yellow Roses, And Friendship

I walked into the grocery store not particularly interested in buying groceries. I wasn't hungry. The pain of losing my husband of 57 years was still too raw. And this grocery store held so many sweet memories.

He often came with me and almost every time he'd pretend to go off and look for something special. I knew what he was up to. I'd always spot him walking down the aisle with the three yellow roses in his hands.

He knew I loved yellow roses. With a heart filled with grief, I only wanted to buy my few items and leave, but even grocery shopping was different since he had passed on.

Shopping for one took time, a little more thought than it had for two.
Standing by the meat, I searched for the perfect small steak and remembered how he had loved his steak.

Suddenly a woman came beside me. She was blonde, slim and lovely in a soft green pantsuit. I watched as she picked up a large package of T-bones, dropped them in her basket.. hesitated, and then put them back. She turned to go and once again reached for the pack of steaks.

She saw me watching her and she smiled. "My husband loves T-bones, but honestly, at these prices, I don't know."

I swallowed the emotion down my throat and met her pale blue eyes.
"My husband passed away eight days ago," I told her. Glancing at the package in her hands, I fought to control the tremble in my voice. "Buy him the steaks. And cherish every moment you have together."

She shook her head and I saw the emotion in her eyes as she placed the package in her basket and wheeled away.


I turned and pushed my cart across the length of the store to the dairy products. There I stood, trying to decide which size milk I should buy. A Quart, I finally decided and moved on to the ice cream. If nothing else, I could always fix myself an ice cream cone.

I placed the ice cream in my cart and looked down the aisle toward the front. I saw first the green suit, then recognized the pretty lady coming towards me. In her arms she carried a package.

On her face was the brightest smile! I had ever seen. I would swear a soft halo encircled her blonde hair as she kept walking toward me, her eyes holding mine.
As she came closer, I saw what she held and tears began misting in my eyes.

"These are for you," she said and placed three beautiful long stemmed yellow roses in my arms. "When you go through the line, they will know these are paid for." She leaned over and placed a gentle kiss on my cheek, then smiled again.

I wanted to tell her what she'd done, what the roses meant, but still unable to speak, I watched as she walked away as tears clouded my vision.

I looked down at the beautiful roses nestled in the green tissue wrapping and found it almost unreal.

How did she know?

Suddenly the answer seemed so clear. I wasn't alone.

Oh, you haven't forgotten me, have you? I whispered, with tears in my eyes. He was still with me, and she was his angel.

Every day be thankful for what you have and who you are.

Even though I clutch my blanket and growl when the alarm rings.
Thank you, Lord, that I can hear.
There are many who are deaf.

Even though I keep my eyes closed against the morning light as long as possible.
Thank you, Lord , that I can see.
Many are blind.

Even though I huddle in my bed and put off rising.
Thank you, Lord, that I have the strength to rise.
There are many who are bedridden.

Even though the first hour of my day is hectic, when socks are lost, toast is burned, tempers are short, and my children are so loud.
Thank you, Lord, for my family.
There are many who are lonely.

Even though our breakfast table never looks like the picture in magazines and the menu is at times unbalanced.
Thank you, Lord, for the food we have.
There are many who are hungry.

Even though the routine of my job often is monotonous.
Thank you, Lord, for the opportunity to work.
There are many who have no job.

Even though I grumble and bemoan my fate from day to day and wish my circumstances were not so modest.
Thank you, Lord, for life.

Counting My Blessings

When I started counting my blessings,

my whole life turned around.

Willie Nelson

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A Touch Of Heaven

To speak gratitude is courteous and pleasant,
to enact gratitude is generous and noble,
but to live gratitude is to touch Heaven.
Johannes A. Gaertner

Gratitude

While we cry ourselves to sleep,

gratitude waits patiently
to console and reassure us;

there is a landscape larger
than the one we can see.
Sarah Ban Breathnach