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Still Waters Newsletter
July 2011
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Scenic Pause
 | | Words of Gratitude |
It is an age old wisdom that gratitude lies at the roots of happiness.
Give yourself a few moments to take in the natural beauty of this earth and let the quotes sink in. They are reminders of a common wisdom - that gratitude is a primary ingredient in the recipe for inner peace.
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 | | by Ashley Davis Bush, LCSW |
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 | | by Ashley Davis Bush, LCSW |
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death doesn't end the relationship, it simply forges a new type of relationship - one based not on physical presence but on memory, spirit, and love...
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Local Author Night
July 27th 6:30pm - 8pm
Chester Public Library
Chester, NH USA
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Greetings!
 | | Ashley Davis Bush |
It is so easy to get caught up in the troubles of our day-to-day routines and so easy to miss the wonders that surround us.
Gratitude is our key to inner peace. Without it the world can seem thankless. With it, our lives fill with wonder and our days with gifts.
Let yourself bathe in the warm winds of gratitude! Sending love and light,
Ashley |
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Stress Free Living
"An Attitude of Gratitude"
I just returned with my family from an overseas vacation. Traveling as a party of two adults, four teenagers, and one child is no easy feat, but we had a wonderful time. Adventures were a daily affair as we drove across Croatia, exploring medieval towns.
Being away, I developed a palpable sense of gratitude. There was gratitude for the simple things: for a restaurant just when we needed food,for a clean bathroom (!), for a bed after a long day of plane rides.
 | | photo by Oleg Prigoryanu |
And there was gratitude for the bigger things as well: for our good health, for our safety, and for our togetherness.
Sometimes in the midst of our daily routines, we slip into complacency. We forget to be mindful of the miracles and gifts that surround us in the moment. We take our blessings for granted, oblivious to the fact that our lives are less solid and less permanent than we'd like to believe.
As I return to the comforts and familiarities of home, I'm confronted with a growing 'to do' list, a grocery list and an errand list. But I also emerge from my jet lag with a new list of appreciations. This gratitude list is my new daily template - far more powerful than the others and hopefully, far more enduring.
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Living with Loss
"Grateful Grieving"
I placed a phone call to an elderly woman who was recently widowed. When the answering machine picked up, I didn't hear the customary greeting of "We're not home; leave a message." Instead, I heard a voice say boldly, "Donald left this earth on February 26th but I'm happy to say that we had thirty-three wonderful years together and I will always be grateful for those years. Please leave a message."
This message was not only open about death, but it was also full of gratitude for life. I was struck by her willingness to hold her grief and love simultaneously. Most people associate grief with only deep sorrow and overwhelming pain. This widow stood in the dark and looked out into the light of love. I often pose this question to grievers: if you could eliminate all of your heartache and grief, but in exchange you had to erase the relationship that
 | | photo by Rick Evans |
brought you so much happiness, would you want this bargain? The answer is unilaterally "no." No one would ever give up the love in order to give up the pain.
Grief is always attached to a deep love, a special relationship, a dear gift. Our gratitude for the love that was, the love that is, and the love that will always be forms a web of strength that grows in intensity. When we shift our attention from loss to the love that endures, a spirit of gratefulness begins to bloom. |
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This Month's Shortcut
"Rest In Peace"
To use when your head rests on your pillow
In this month's Shortcut, we use gratitude as a way of redirecting our minds toward positive emotions. Rick Hanson, co-author of The Buddha's Brain, calls this "Taking in the Good." When we bring positive emotions to the forefront of our memory, it sets a calm and grateful tenor to our thinking. What better time to be grateful than when we lie in our warm safe beds?
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As you are in bed starting to fall asleep, review your day and list three things that happened for which you are grateful. Don't just vaguely remember each instance, but actively recall it and re-create the experience of it. Hold the feeling and think of yourself as a sponge, absorbing the memory in your body.
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This tool is a way of focusing our minds on positive emotions. Joy can be described as "vibrant peace." By reflecting on moments of joy during our days, energy generates, and we become increasingly more joyful and more peaceful. Cultivating this evening gratitude practice not only calms our minds but it calms our bodies and will definitely help us sleep better!
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Web Favorites
 | | photo by Rick Evans |
www.zenhabits.net
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