How fitting that this day of remembrance and gratitude falls on the final day of My Sacred Life month-long journey.
As I write, my "Gratitude" candle from Zena Moon burns nearby ... filling the air with the scent of rosemary and rose. The quote on the label reminds me:“Thanksgiving is the holiday of peace, the celebration of work and the simple life... a true folk-festival that speaks the poetry of the turn of the seasons, the beauty of seedtime and harvest, the ripe product of the year - and the deep, deep connection of all these things with God."
~Ray Stannard Baker
"If the only prayer you said
in your entire life was 'thank you',
that would suffice."
—Meister Eckhart
About the candle itself, Carla writes:
"The intent of the gratitude candle speaks volumes for itself ... and it is the candle that almost always graces my home altar. The combination of rose and rosemary is absolutely divine. Amazonite is a stone of honor and tiger eye of clarity."
I couldn't agree more! I'm happy I met Carla this summer in Taos at the Writer's Retreat and that I undertook this daily journey here once my friends got me started Blogging. As she & others have done before me, my intention is to post on Sundays henceforth.
I've followed with interest the conversation at Rick's Blog with Kelly, Olivia, and several others engaged in the 37 Day Complaint-free Challenge because I'm thinking about taking it up next ... though I'm equally interested in reading EAT, PRAY, LOVE and participating in the Soaring Free Souls discussion started by Olivia and Annie, and may be more than a bit late for that one.
Whatever I decide to do next, I'm happy to be here ... grateful for the "virtual friends" I've encountered ... and eager to continue whatever arises ... with the freedom I knew in childhood. As I've done the past few days, I share three Zen Cards I'll be contemplating today:
Discovering ways to let life unfold as it will and enjoy whatever comes may be a gift of my advanced age or the product of decades of seeking; but whatever the source, I find myself exceeding grateful to be in this place ... here and now ... traveling with companions such as yourselves.
And so it is that I wish you & yours peace, love, and joy ... today and every day ... offering this reminder as I hold it in my heart today also.
A melody has been running through my mind all morning (I suspect from my Methodist adolescence) ... and the following words just "registered" in my brain ... "Blessed be the ties that bind, our hearts in human love. The fellowship of kindred souls, is like to that above." (Please forgive an old woman if I'm wrong. I've got "sometimes dis-ease" ... sometimes I remember, and sometimes I don't.)
I've followed with interest the conversation at Rick's Blog with Kelly, Olivia, and several others engaged in the 37 Day Complaint-free Challenge because I'm thinking about taking it up next ... though I'm equally interested in reading EAT, PRAY, LOVE and participating in the Soaring Free Souls discussion started by Olivia and Annie, and may be more than a bit late for that one.
Whatever I decide to do next, I'm happy to be here ... grateful for the "virtual friends" I've encountered ... and eager to continue whatever arises ... with the freedom I knew in childhood. As I've done the past few days, I share three Zen Cards I'll be contemplating today:
"INNER PEACE
Inner peace brings
FULFILLMENT.
Attain it,
and life works.
Give it away,
and HAPPINESS
becomes
elusive."
Daniel Levin
Inner peace brings
FULFILLMENT.
Attain it,
and life works.
Give it away,
and HAPPINESS
becomes
elusive."
Daniel Levin
Discovering ways to let life unfold as it will and enjoy whatever comes may be a gift of my advanced age or the product of decades of seeking; but whatever the source, I find myself exceeding grateful to be in this place ... here and now ... traveling with companions such as yourselves.
"THE JOURNEY
Understand
that the journey
is as important
as the destination.
ENJOY every moment,
and live life fully.
This is Zen.
Daniel Levin
Understand
that the journey
is as important
as the destination.
ENJOY every moment,
and live life fully.
This is Zen.
Daniel Levin
And so it is that I wish you & yours peace, love, and joy ... today and every day ... offering this reminder as I hold it in my heart today also.
"JOY
Joy is INSIDE you,
not in attainment
of things desired,
nor in the achievement
of goals made,
but in the simple feeling
that lies within you.
Know that JOY
is unaffected by outer circumstance,
and joy will be yours forever."
Daniel Levin
Joy is INSIDE you,
not in attainment
of things desired,
nor in the achievement
of goals made,
but in the simple feeling
that lies within you.
Know that JOY
is unaffected by outer circumstance,
and joy will be yours forever."
Daniel Levin
A melody has been running through my mind all morning (I suspect from my Methodist adolescence) ... and the following words just "registered" in my brain ... "Blessed be the ties that bind, our hearts in human love. The fellowship of kindred souls, is like to that above." (Please forgive an old woman if I'm wrong. I've got "sometimes dis-ease" ... sometimes I remember, and sometimes I don't.)
Blessed be ... and so it is :--)
6 comments:
I am honoured to have my song in your music link here! Thanks and hope you're having a fabulously Happy Thanksgiving! (Any leftover pumpkin pie for breakfast??!!!)
M o I
'Tis my pleasure to share your song. It was the first link I added, right after I found your site and heard the song for initially ... just about a month ago when I entered this "virtual world". I've since altered the hyper-link so it leads to the post where you tell about recording the song and have posted the words. I figure folks can navigate to "current" posts from there on their own.
As for mom's pie crust, alas ... I've long had her recipe, but never her hands or technique. I watched her year after year, taking notes here & there ... but somehow MY crusts just aren't as thin or "flakey" as hers.
One of the benefits of having Thanksgiving somewhere else is that there are no leftovers at all ... and that's a good thing since I'll need to weigh-in today or tomorrow because I couldn't attend my regular Thursday morning WW meeting due to the holiday. Of course, I could swing by Coco's and buy a piece of "Harvest Pie to go" on my way back from weighing in. I've learned that even though buying a whole pie yields a better price by the slice, it's too dangerous to have access to more than one piece of anything that tasty :--]
I like what you are doing here. It's so refreshing to come by and read something positive. :)
The complaint-free time sounds like a great idea. I'm just not sure what I'd have to blog about if I didn't complain *at all*. LOL
Thanks -- I do what I can. :)
As for complaints ... perhaps it's a matter of perspective? I've still not made up my mind about this one, so I may let it be ... at least for now.
Hugs and blessings,
It sounds like you received as much from My Sacred Life as I did. It was a wonderful journey and still is.
Annie
xxx
Annie
Amen to that! I've written in my private journals about such things for decades, but there's something special about sharing these ruminations with others. Thanks for accompanying me on my journey and for sharing yours. One day I'll "catch up" on some of what occurred before my arrival in the Blogosphere. For now, I'm doing what I can each day.
Take care of those wrists! We want you well :)
Hugs and blessings,
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