Volume 12, Issue 11 | November 2023

Hi!

I make mental note of blessings throughout my day and then write in my gratitude journal at night before going to sleep. I’ve come to realize that the objects of gratitude are many. Gratitude can focus on and arise from a/an:

• Person
• Place
• Organization
• Activity
• Feeling/attitude
• Physical condition

For instance, I am grateful that these days I usually have an attitude of gratitude; this was not always the case for me. It wasn’t until I was introduced to the Twelve Step philosophy and “came to believe” that I started to feel grateful.

Or how about an activity? I am grateful to sing solo and also in a couple of groups; it so nourishes my soul and helps me feel connected. Organizations? I am grateful for the two local spiritual centers I’m involved in—Centers for Spiritual Living and Unity—and the philosophies they teach that enable me to become a better person and lead a richer, more joyful life. I am grateful for the community each offers me.

In general, I’m probably most grateful for people, relationships. I have crossed paths on this journey of Life with so many individuals, each one being a blessing even if I wasn’t always cognizant about it. Some I’ve known for decades, some for a fleeting moment, but I’ve no doubt regardless of length of time, each has made a mark on my life. I am grateful for the richness folks bring to my life, their wisdom, their talents, their laughter, their support, sharing their challenges, and so much more. It is an exchange of giving and receiving, of connecting, and of being of service.

If you’re having difficulty feeling grateful, perhaps focusing on a particular category of “objects” will help you conjure up an attitude of gratitude. I feel better when I am in that frame of heart and mind, and research has identified links to reduced feelings of depression, lessened anxiety, better sleep, and improved heart health. Gratitude helps people deal with adversity and build strong relationships. Seems like it’s win—win to me!

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Perhaps the following song, I Am Grateful by Karen Drucker, Stowe Dailey & Karen Taylor Good (StoweGood) will also help you get into feeling grateful.

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Blessings,

Spirituality

Eckhart Tolle on Gratitude

Inspiration and Contemplation

Say Thank You at All Times

People Making a Difference

The Gratitude Project

For eight consecutive years, Leslie Stafford has been overseeing the Gratitude Project for Madison Park Development Corporation. This Thanksgiving, 500 families were to receive thoughtfully curated meals with all the usual fixings, a mixture of shelf stable and fresh vegetables, and a $20 gift card.

Leslie is considered the “Chief of Inspiration” for the non-profit and works out of the Haynes House in Roxbury, MA. There folks can enroll in free 4-week sessions on nutrition. They teach people how to empower themselves and improve their lives through nutrition. Stafford said neighbors come to her with all sorts of wants.

She also runs and manages three community gardens and uses produce from the gardens in the class. The recent harvest yielded 500 pounds and was collected by some incredible volunteers. "During the week we have kids at the high school, the kids who are intellectually disabled, and kids that are intellectually disabled and at high risk," Stafford said.

You can learn more about Ms. Stafford and her work from this news story.

"Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all the others. "

—Marcus Tullius Cicero

In these times, now more than ever, I think keeping a gratitude perspective is an imperative. On a daily basis, it is a way to acknowledge the goodness in our life.

And, yes, even in these times, there is always something/someone to be grateful for.

Blessings,

Joyce S. Kaye, MSW

928.301.7292

joyce@thecomputerspirit.com

You, Me, and Spirit

I was a devout atheist until 33 years ago when I "came to believe" in a Power greater than myself. Thanks to hearing the novel idea (well, at least it was to me!) that one could choose their own concept of God—and name too (Spirit, The Great Mystery, All That Is, etc.)—and the workings of synchronicity, I embarked on a new way of thinking, a new way of living, a new way of being in the world and with others. It impacted all aspects of my life and relationships.

Since that time of commencing my conscious spiritual journey, I have endeavored to remember The Presence in all that is, all whom I meet, and all that I do—including working with clients in my own business, academia, and the corporate world. I strive to be of service and to nurture the human spirit in all environments.