May I start first with feeling Your Presence. From there may I exude Your Love, Joy, Peace, and Grace to others I meet on the path today.
Please increase and enliven my trust and faith in You and Your works, and leave the fears and littleness of the ego by the wayside so that I may enjoy this day and You can make Your demonstrations.
As I leave the Silence and go out into the world today, may I feel Your Presence and hear Your Voice at all times, and may following Your guidance flow with ease, grace, and joy in a perfect way.
For the last 19 Thanksgiving Days, I have been humbled. That was not always the case.
Before joining 12 Step program in March, 1990, I was a devout atheist. When Thanksgiving came ‘round each year, I pretty much acknowledged and thanked myself for the life I had. There was no Higher Power in my life; I was the alpha and the omega.
Much has changed since coming to believe, and these days I know Who to thank for the life I have. Without Spirit, my life would not be what it is today – and every day. So these days, one of the most important things I am grateful for is joining a 12 Step program for eating disorders, which started me on my spiritual awakening path. I am grateful for the love, knowledge, tools, experience, and support I have found along the way.
And, I give thanks that I am no longer alone, for I know that God is with me this Thanksgiving Day, and always. That is the greatest thing I am grateful for.
May my gratitude for coming to believe be expressed every day through my loving actions toward others, in service to the One Who blesses my life.
This Thanksgiving Day Eve, I offer a gift of quotes about gratitude to jumpstart contemplation about all that there is to be grateful for.
“Wake at dawn with a winged heart and give thanks for another day of loving.” – Kahlil Gibran
“Giving thanks for abundance is sweeter than the abundance itself…” – Rumi
“Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all others.” – Cicero
“Gratitude is our most direct line to God and the angels. The more we seek gratitude, the more reason the angels will give us for gratitude and joy to exist in our lives.” – Terry Lynn Taylor
“Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it.” – William Arthur Ward
“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
“He is a wise man who does not grieve for the things which he has not, but rejoices for those which he has.” – Epictetus
“God gave you a gift of 86,400 seconds today. Have you used one to say “thank you?” – William A. Ward
“If you want to turn your life around, try thankfulness. It will change your life mightily.” – Gerald Good
“Feeling grateful or appreciative of someone or something in your life actually attracts more of the things that you appreciate and value into your life.” – Christiane Northrup
“Develop an attitude of gratitude, and give thanks for everything that happens to you, knowing that every step forward is a step toward achieving something bigger and better than your current situation.” – Brian Tracy
“The hardest arithmetic to master is that which enables us to count our blessings.”- Eric Hoffer
“Let us rise up and be thankful, for if we didn’t learn a lot today, at least we learned a little, and if we didn’t learn a little, at least we didn’t get sick, and if we got sick, at least we didn’t die; so, let us all be thankful.” -Buddha
“Let’s be grateful for those who give us happiness; they are the charming gardeners who make our soul bloom.” – Marcel Proust
“Saying thank you is more than good manners. It is good spirituality.” – Alfred Painter
“As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.” – John F. Kennedy
“If the only prayer you said in your whole life was, “thank you,” that would suffice.” – Meister Eckhart
Yesterday I was driving on State Route 89A from Sedona towards Cottonwood, making my way to the ultimate destination of Gilbert to have one last packing up session with our house there. This trip I was driving sans Rog so I had the opportunity to be alone with God in any way I chose.
When I drive alone I’m usually singing spiritual music, which feels like prayer to me; I love connecting to Source in this manner. But on this early sunny morning I actually sat in the Silence for a while. Viewing all the beauty around me got me to thinking about the road I alone, and with Rog, have traveled in recent times with God. I started listing my blessings.
I am grateful that we now live in a small town filled with many spiritually awakened souls and host to many spiritually awakening and cultural events. I am grateful that I feel a part of community. I am grateful that every day I am surrounded and can view the natural beauty of this place.
I am grateful for all the miracles God came through with to get Rog and me moved from Gilbert to this perfect home for us in Sedona. Some came at the 11 ½ hour, but they came. The owners couldn’t be more wonderful folks and we feel grateful and privileged that they ‘entrusted’ this home to our care. This place is rich with character and coziness and indeed feels like a ‘vacation home’ to us.
I am grateful for the new life that is unfolding for me that includes singing in a choir, being of service especially during the upcoming holiday season, meeting new people, and engaging in meaningful conversation. I am grateful for the loving and welcoming disposition of everyone (it seems), from Unity attendees to the grocery check-out person. I am grateful for old friends and relatives who are loving and supportive.
I am grateful for my good health and capable physical body, and for the fresh air and exercise that is a more natural part of my lifestyle now.
I am grateful that I have a steady business contract with a local business person; this contract lays a financial foundation for us to start with. And, the client and I work well together. In addition, it’s a natural way to get immersed into the local community. I am grateful for new business contracts on their way to manifestation.
I am grateful for a great, reliable automobile, my 2003 Camry named Espiritu / Spirit II, with its license plate that is a continual reminder to me of God’s presence and the attitude I need to hold each and every minute – GUIDEME.
And most of all I am grateful I am sharing all of this adventure called Life with my twin flame and husband Roger.
I am surely blessed!
Thank You, Spirit, for all that you have given me in this life. There is indeed so much to be grateful for – in fact, everything since it all comes from You, Source of All Good.
I am reminded this morning that my heart can “swell with a song of thanksgiving to God” for the many blessings that God has showered upon me even if my present circumstances may be less than ideal.
I no doubt feel gratitude – I’ve no trouble with that. What I need a dose of is increased faith and trust that Spirit would not have taken me this far just to drop me. In fact, all these wonderful blessings and miracles are signs – no, much more than signs -, demonstrations of God’s love, grace, and goodness.
May I remember throughout this day that Spirit is with me and taking care of me. It is the Source of all and only goodness stems from It.
Thank You, Spirit, for filling my heart every day with a song of thanksgiving no matter the circumstances.
Like most people, I grew up hearing the expression “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”
I’ve thought that a nifty and helpful way to get along with people. I wouldn’t want someone to do such-and-such to me, so I will not do such-and-such to them. Or, wasn’t that a nice gesture so-and-so made to me – it’d be nice to do something similar for someone else.
The trouble with the aforementioned expression is that it keeps acts on an equal level; it doesn’t invite one to go to higher ground. But as a spiritual being I am called to give and open my heart in ever expanding ways and numbers. I think the following quote has it right:
“Do unto others with a larger heart.” – Daily Guideposts, 10.28.09
It’s always wonderfully synchronistic to come upon a daily reading that is so apropos to my current situation. How do the publishers know what is going on in my life?!
I do believe that all dis-ease originates at the spiritual level and eventually manifests in the physical realm if not addressed. Still, sometimes I just need the physical plane to get my attention to draw me more strongly back to Spirit.
That said, Rog and I are both in need of physical healing. We have very good reason to be feeling the way we have been: we’ve been packing and moving boxes and furniture around for months now for our relocation adventure, and we are not athletic spring chickens. So we’re working on taking care of our physical bodies by resting, slowing down, rehydrating, etc. And, of course, we’re working with Spirit, our Source of all.
Here’s the message from Today’s Daily Word – Saturday, November 21, 2009, who knew so well what I would be going through whenever it was written. It’s comforting to know I’m not alone…
HEALING PRESENCE I am healed in body, mind and soul.Healing comes in many forms and in many ways. Some wounds heal quickly and visibly, like the physical healing of a scratch or a burn. Other wounds may take more time to heal. A broken heart, a troubled life or a dampened spirit requires a greater depth of healing–healing of my body, mind and soul.
Every need for healing is an invitation to turn within to God for guidance and direction. As I enter into the silence to meditate and pray, I connect with the Source of both my physical and spiritual healing. I am guided to the ways of strength and wholeness. I receive the most vital and lasting form of health: the healing of my soul.
For I will restore health to you, and your wounds I will heal. – Jeremiah 30:17
Thank You, Spirit, for your healing presence at all levels and for your patience and love in meeting me wherever I’m at. Thank You for healing my body and my soul most of all.
I am seeking joy today. I know it’s not outside of me. It comes from God; it is part of my divine birthright.
But these days it seems hard to find my joy. How can that be if it is part of me through and through, like God? I suppose my ego has put blocks up to my joy and they appear to run deep.
The good news is that if my joy comes from Spirit, then Spirit can restore me to that which I appear to lack.
Today I turn my life and my will over to Spirit. I ask for any obstacles to joy be removed so that I may be a better demonstration to others of Your love and grace. Thank You, Spirit! So it is.
“To share in the knowledge of God requires that you surrender what you think and what you know so that you can open and receive the infinite awareness that you are part of. Surrender in this moment, and in this moment, and in this moment, and continue to do so until your mind is filled with the awareness of God’s love and wisdom that is within you.” – www.thevoiceforlove.com
In surrendering, I feel closer to God and at peace. I am relaxed and hence more open -minded and -hearted, more able to hear God’s guidance. And, I am more willing to follow Spirit’s guidance. There too I feel joy.
Lately I’ve been overwhelmed with stuff related to the physical world and not feeling the joy that is in inherent in me, that is my divine birthright. In seeking to feel the joy within me, I surrender my will and my life to Spirit – again and again and again…
I don’t think my plate has ever been as full as it is now as we continue transitioning from life in Gilbert to life in Sedona. And because of that, certain tasks have gone by the wayside or not been addressed in a timely manner or not been done as perfectly as I (and perhaps others) think they should have been.
It’s time for forgiving – me, moi, Joyce. I’m doing the best I can in each 24-hour period given to me and it must be enough. In fact, it’s better than enough.
I don’t think Spirit has me here to act like a machine. I am here to learn, to grow, to help others, to serve, to be happy. I want to find the joy in this day, and I want to be in the Now to feel the Presence.
The other day at a blessing gathering I got the hit that forgiveness is about surrender. I surrender to God the ideas I hold about myself and others, how things should be, and let go. I let God handle my actions and my thoughts. I surrender my heart to God as I forgive myself and others.
Today I am filled with peace as I choose to forgive myself and surrender my life to Spirit. Thank You, Spirit!
