11/19/12
A lot has been said over the years about gratitude, especially for the things you have and those you love. At this “giving thanks” time of year, it is imperative that we look beyond gratitude to the true feeling behind it.
What is gratitude? I believe it is love, focused. When we are grateful for our lives and our blessings and the people we love, we are basically focusing on the love part. And, even though we are told to be grateful for the things we don’t love–the illness, the loss, the parts of life that are not as fun–we are most truly grateful for the things we do love.
Therefore, gratitude is simply love, focused on specific things
We are grateful for things in our life because we, ultimately, love them. We love the people in our lives, we often love the place we live, we even love the big-screen TV or the new car. And that’s OK. It’s OK to love and appreciate your stuff. I am grateful for the comfy couch I often relax upon. I’m grateful for its coziness and warmth. Do I love my couch? Not really. But I love the way I feel when I’m snuggled onto it.
So, while you may love your family and love your life, you usually “love” your stuff because of the way it makes you feel, how it enhances your life, how it makes life easier.
I love my kitchen. It makes me feel happy. It makes cooking easier and more fun. The colors brighten my mood. But, do I literally love each drawer and cupboard, each appliance? Not really. But I am grateful for the way the various parts of my kitchen have enhanced my life. I love how it has made my life easier and more fun.
If gratitude is love, focused, what do you want to focus on? What parts of your life do you love and therefore have gratitude for?
During this time of Thanksgiving, before the Christmas hype overwhelms and the gratitude gets lost in the holiday shuffle, take a few moments and decide what you are most grateful for, and really feel the love behind that gratitude. Are you thankful for that person in your life because you truly love them, or because they make your life easier, better somehow? Do you love your car because you truly love metal and plastic, or do you love how your car makes you feel–how it enhances and eases your life?
Look behind the gratitude to the love. Focus on that love, because love is what we are truly grateful for. Love is what keeps us in the so-called game of life.
Be thankful. Be grateful. Be love personified.
And enjoy this wonderful time of Thanksgiving!
Barbara
Welcome to my very first blog. My intention with these blogs is to create a space for Spirit to speak to you. I am merely the transcriptionist! Every blog will be of the highest intent and best regard. Whether you agree with my musings or not, I hope you enjoy the experience.
Nov. 8, 2012
We are at a crossroads of life. Not the usual ones that mark passages of growth and development of our human lives, like school graduation and marriage and childbirth, retirement and passing on. No, the crossroads we are at as a planet and a people are bigger than those human experiences. This crossroads is about where we go as a people, as a planet, next. What do we stand for? What do we tolerate, or not tolerate? How are we going to resolve our issues? Are we going to continue to bully and bluster, subjugate and control? Are we going to (finally) learn the finer arts of listening and putting ourselves in the other’s place, or are we going to fall back on the old standby of taking the ball and going home if we don’t like the way the other kids are playing?
Are we going to continue the inappropriate and unfortunate way we tend to treat those we consider “less than” us? And are we going to keep handing our power over to others by letting their prattlings of fear envelop and overcome us? Where do you stand? Are you so entrenched in your beliefs that you can’t see others’ point of view? Or are your beliefs so wishy-washy that they change depending upon where you are and who you are talking to?
Have you dealt with your own issues, or do you continue to finger-point and blame everyone else for your circumstances? Are you really ready to pull up your big-girl (or boy) pants and take responsibility for your own actions, your own issues, your own beliefs?
I am asking this because we are heading toward 2013, which is the time of illumination. We are going forth into the new energy of enlightenment, and we cannot afford to be carrying around old luggage that no longer serves us, and doesn’t travel well in enlightenment and illumination.
What are you holding onto that is holding you back?
Take some time in your busy day to ask your heart to show you the type of life you desire. Feel how it feels. Revel in the peace and gratitude that comes with that life. Then, ask yourself, what is stopping me from having the life I truly desire. What in me is blocking that? If you start blaming outside sources (the economy, Obama, your parents, whatever!), then step back and look deeper. Is it really those outside sources, or is there something within you, some fear, some negative belief, that is truly the cause of your blockage?
If it is within you, either try to clear it yourself or get help from any one of the many practitioners out there who can assist you. But start today. Prepare your body/mind/spirit for the new wave of illumination energy coming onto the planet.
In joy and love,
Barbara Davies
Heartsong Publications
http://www.barbaradavies.com/ and http://www.heartsongpublications.com/
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