Another Day Above Ground

I am grateful for another day of life...another day above ground. It is an opportunity to notice the beauty around me, show compassion where there is suffering, healing where there is woundedness and express my love to my family. I am grateful for this opportunity.

I am grateful that Darwin felt well enough to walk to the stop sign - the first time he has been there in over a month. I am grateful for the medicine and the expert medical care that can offer him his best chance at a life filled with good things with minimal pain.

I am grateful that the neighbors appear to be intimidated by me and have not yet confronted me with their anger and abusive treatment. I am grateful for the protection of the spirits from the psychic fallout of their wrath.

I am grateful for neighbors Tom and Marve who served in Viet Nam out of duty and love for this country. I am grateful for the sacrifice they have made in their attempt to defend my freedom and well-being from those who would enslave.

I am grateful for the strong cup of coffee this morning that, even while I write, is coursing through my veins.

For all these things and more, I give thanks.

Opportunity Knocks!

I am grateful for the information on Vitamin D as a possible protective measure against the possible flu pandemic that may be upon us. I am grateful that I live in a part of the world that has access to the best medical care possible and that I have a good chance of staying healthy and living a long and fulfilling life.

I am grateful for Bill O'Hanlon and his pioneering spirit that helps to challenge me to "think Big." I have so much to give. I am sitting on so much experience, so many learnings, so much gold. I am grateful for all the difficult lessons of my life and the ability to learn from them. I am intelligent and perceptive and open to transformation. My eye and my body are full of light.

I am grateful for the connections with others and their need that allow the power of healing to come through me. My learnings have not made me a source of healing but a conduit of healing. I am grateful to the spirits for their willingness to work through me. I am grateful for the time and opportunity that lies ahead for me.

For these gifts I give thanks.

I am grateful for the life-giving rain we had last night and yesterday. Everything is renewed and turning green. I am grateful for the leaves on the trees shielding the view from my neighbors giving me greater privacy. I am grateful for the "sanctuary" that is given to me each spring.

I am grateful for the good weekend with Lee and the opportunity to hold each other and take pleasure in each other's company. I am grateful she made it back to the condo safely and enjoyed a movie with her daughter. I am grateful for her words of love and devotion in her text before bed. Her words assure me that I am loved and wanted by her.

I am grateful for a good night's sleep and enough energy to meet the day. I find myself hopeful and looking forward to working and interacting today and doing good work and making a difference. I am grateful for my soul's direction as a healer that provides a compass for my day.

Shelter from the storm

Darwin came all the way down to my bathroom to greet me this morning! He is chewing a bone now after playing the bone game with Carter. I am so grateful he is feeling more like himself! I am grateful for the resources to help him with his episode of IMT. I am grateful for Tim and his staff as well as Paul for all their help in getting Darwin the help he needs.

I am grateful for Lee being with me for the weekend and for her insultating herself from some of the family drama. I am grateful to have a partner who has the resources to respond to the challenges of life in a resourceful and mature way.

I am grateful for all the work that Alicia did to get the house cleaned up yesterday. I am grateful for a clean place to work and to live. I am grateful that it is clean and healthy and peaceful. I am grateful for a warm house that is inviting and protects me from the cold and the rain. Shelter is an incredible gift.. I give thanks for these gifts.

When it reigns...

The weather spirits are reigning this morning like they do every morning. It has rained in the night. I am grateful for the spirit of weather - for the insite that I live in a relationship with weather rather than a victim of weather wishing I could be master over the weather. I am grateful I am not in control. I would not want that responsibility.

I am grateful Darwin seems to be doing better. He is one of life's greatest gifts to me. His presence in my life reminds me I am loved and accepted unconditionally by the Creator and that I am fortunate to live in a time and place with the resources for nurturing this kind of friendship. He chose me. I did not chose him. I am honored that Darwin would choose me as his friend and choose to bond with me. He not only provides love in my life but purpose as well. One of my main pleasures in life is being able to be present for Darwin and return his love and his trust in me with a good life the best I can. For the gift of Darwin, I give thanks.

The power blinked off briefly this morning reminding me how grateful I am for electricity that helps make my work easier and much of it even possible. This force connects me with the world. It helps my mind, my thoughts and my compassion extend out into the world. All good things can return to me three-fold. For the gift of electricity, I give thanks.

Life Wins

I am grateful for the resiliency and tenacity of life. The forms of life are fragile and transient, but Life itself, is enduring. It is true everything that is alive dies. But even death is folded in as an essential process supporting Life. Death is merely an event. Life is an endless process. I give thanks for the gift of life in me and my loved ones. I give thanks for the strength of the life-force in me that has led to my healing. I am so grateful to have a wife that reminds me regularly that I am not old. I am not dying. I am living – each precious moment of my life.

An Experiment - Taking up the Challenge

I happened to be listening to a recording online on gratitude by a realtor in Nevada named Sanda Sumpter located at http://www.backtogratitude.com/. It didn't say anything that I haven't heard a hundred times but while listening, I had an insight about how life works and what I could do to make my life better.

If you get more of what you focus on in life, what are the implications of seeing yourself as a "problem solver" and a "fixer?" If you approach life as primarily a problem to be solved or a challenge to be met, does that mean you will get more than your fair share of problems? Does this mean that focusing on problems will bring more of them into your life? I suspect this is true.

(A variation of the above theme is focusing on what you want in life - i.e. a goal. Does focusing on what you don't have bring more of "not having" into your life? I think so.)

So, if I want fewer problems in my life, I would do well to deal with them as necessary but keep my focus on the blessings that are in my life. This should lead to more blessing and fewer problems, right? If I want to achieve more of my goals in life, would I be better off focusing on the goals I have already accomplished?

I decided it was worth an experiment to find out. I took the challenge that the speaker offered to journal for 10 minutes a day for 7 days on what I am grateful for and why. (The "why" was also a new thought to me as I have journaled list of gratitudes before and found it trite and somewhat boring. The point is to "connect the dots" of blessing in your life with the purpose and mission of your life. The speaker promised a "transformed life in 7 days."

I don't know about "transformed" but after 7 days, I had noticed my mood lifting (maybe its Spring) and my days going smoother. I noticed more peace and joy in my life. Though it is subtle, I think the change is significant to extend the experiment for another month.

What follows, therefor, is a running "thought stream" of my morning meditations as I focus on the blessings of my life and how my life is better just by focusing on the good things I already have.