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Today was such a wonderful day! Actually, the past several days have been pretty nifty I’ve noticed.

Today included coffee time with Rog (aka spiritual conversation and nourishment), an uplifting Unity service, singing, connecting via email, an hour long call with a dear friend in which we made plans for her to visit next month (yippee!), fun eBay auctions ending with some monies earned, etc. A full, busy, and rich day – and, I’m feeling the joy.

I think I’ve been having these types of days more and more frequently in recent times because I’m feeling more and more at peace. I’m connecting with Spirit more, staying in the present moment where I hold onto to faith and trust. And, in different ways throughout the day, I’m praying.

A reading this morning talked about making your life a living prayer by praying all the time. I’ve heard this before and I love it! As a living prayer I’m always mindful of God, growing closer and closer to Him. This enables me to focus on all that is good and the best within me, to give with a full and thankful heart, and to be at peace. It doesn’t take much, and the journey as well as the destination is fulfilling.

Dear God – I pray to be a living prayer throughout my waking hours and to go to sleep with a prayer of thanksgiving on my lips, and peace in my heart.

Dear Lord,
I give You my hands to do Your work;
I give You my feet to go Your way;
I give You my eyes to see as You see;
I give You my tongue to speak Your words;
I give You my mind that You may think in me;
I give You my spirit that You may pray in me.
Above all, I give You my heart that You may love in me – love the Father and love all humankind.
I give You my whole self, Lord, that You may grow in me, so that it is You who lives, works and prays in me.
Amen.

– http://www.circleofprayer.com/morning.html

Often when I’m in the shower – just me and the delicious warm, wet water, I take time to talk to Spirit. It can take the form of prayer, chatty conversation, and/or soulful singing. I cherish the time and can sometimes forget that the water meter is ticking.

I showered this morning right after I got out of bed, before having my quiet time with Spirit, not my usual habit. So I made sure that I took time to be with Spirit while cleaning my physical body. I started with a “Thank You for this day, thank You for my life,” then started sharing a gratitude list.

Lo and behold, when I got to my reading time, Unity’s Daily Word focused on gratitude. I like the synchronicity of that – especially since another reading stated “We will experience no coincidence today. All situations that transpire…have their purpose” (From In God’s Care, January 7). Also, I like the additional enforcement for my consciousness. Thinking of what I’m grateful for is always an uplifting experience for me – and I suspect for most everyone.

So here’s the full reading from the Daily Word – enjoy!

Today’s Daily Word – Wednesday, January 7, 2009
GRATITUDE
With an attitude of gratitude, I attract greater good into my life.

I am grateful for all the good in my life and aware that by being grateful, I am attracting even more good to me.

Gratitude is more than just thankfulness. It is a deeper awareness that because God is present within every person and situation, ultimate good is also present.

As I begin each day both in the awareness that God is all good at all times and with the assurance that I am one with God, I have the strength, patience, and faith to face any situation. My gratitude increases with each prayer of faith and each acknowledgement that wherever I am, God is.

I thank God for this day and for all the good it holds in store for me and for those I hold dear.

“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly; teach and admonish one another in all wisdom; and with gratitude in your hearts sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God.”–Colossians 3:16

My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from Him. – Psalm 62:5
“One of the most serious and powerful facts in human nature is that you are likely to get what you are basically expecting. Spend years developing the mental attitude of expecting that things are not going to turn out well, and you are likely to get that result. You create a mental condition slanted to an unhappy outcome. If, on the contrary, you develop and maintain a mental attitude of faith and expectancy—hoping, dreaming, believing, praying, working—you will create conditions in which every good thing can and will grow. Fill your mind with the positive power of spiritual expectancy, and God and His good will flow toward you.”

Courtesy of PealeCenterforPositiveThinking.com

As we think, so we are. I carefully watch my thoughts today. I keep my mind on God’s presence in my life, and as I go through the day, I remember that God is always with me, guiding me, and moving me along my journey with love and blessings.

Remembering God and keeping my thoughts on God, I find peace and joy. I am grateful.

The Universe is always speaking to us using nature, intuition, and other means to get its message across. But are we listening? The sooner we pay attention to what the universe is telling us, the less we fight the river. – Science of Mind, 12.03.08

One way the Universe – or Spirit – sends me messages is through dreams. And, in the wee hours of this morning, I got some timely messages that I am prepared to take note of.

I had some powerful dreams about Santa Fe, NM. I had lived there for about 7 years until moving to AZ almost 6 years ago. While there, I was not a happy camper and found myself to not be the upbeat person I usually am; I felt my soul was dying.

Having grown up and lived in New York City for 41 years, a melting pot of 8 million people or so, New Mexico was a very different place to live than I was accustomed to – and I did not take well to it. I have not kept in touch with the vast majority of people I met there, and I’ve only been back once since “leaving Dodge” and that was solely to attend a conference. It’s a time of my life that I’ve simply not wanted to be reminded of.

But it seems that now that we are preparing to move to a smaller and more rural community, it is time for me to heal my New Mexico stint. There will be some similarities between where we relocate to in AZ and the places I lived in and people I met while living in NM. I want to build a joyful, full life in our new community, so it behooves me to heal my past and make peace with NM.

Thanks, Spirit, for the message. I’m listening, and I am open to Your guidance.