Bird Droppings August 13, 2013 Can we find gratitude in our daily walk? By chance yesterday afternoon I went by my favorite bookstore. As I do so often searching the book shelves at Barnes and Nobles I found a few books over the past few trips; two books are by J. T. And William Garrett and focus on Cherokee medicine and spirituality and the other is a book I have found most interesting and will be borrowing from in the classroom and in my writing over the next days. That book is, Activating the Desire to learn by Bob Sutto who uses Dr. William Glasser’s Choice Theory, to open up students to learning. Choice Theory is a totally different approach in our world of antecedent, behavior and consequence as depicted in behaviorist understanding. Perhaps a good lead in to my thinking on this book and idea is one of saying thank you or borrowing from the Cherokee Wa de (Skee). “If the only prayer you ever say in your entire life is thank you, it will be enough.” Meister Eckhart It was only a few days back that as I was waking up considerably later, still while most folks were still asleep, and I was thinking about gratitude. So often we are not thankful for all that befalls us. When I saw Eckhart’s quote about a month ago my first thought was to use it on Thanksgiving Day. But I really think it goes beyond a single day of giving thanks. This is a thought as in native philosophy should permeate our being and be an essential part of our day, giving thanks. “Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.” Melody Beattie “Feeling grateful or appreciative of someone or something in your life actually attracts more of the things that you appreciate and value into your life.” Northrup Christine Being grateful opens doors and lets people in. We live in such a protectionist society and reality. We are always trying to protect our own area of influence, material items and self. Many times this could be why we humans in our nature have preponderance to greed coming into effect. However gratefulness can lift you up and take you beyond where you are now to another level. In a recent reading and article about Oprah Winfried the question was raised was it racism when a retail person refused to show her a thirty eight thousand dollar purse in an exclusive Switzerland shop. My first thought was who needs a purse of that cost. My wife came to Oprah’s vindication she can afford it not that she needs its but because she can. Not much different than when I buy certain milk over the house brand that is two dollars a gallon cheaper. “Gratitude is the heart’s memory.” French Proverb “It is another’s fault if he is ungrateful, but it is mine if I do not give. To find one thankful man, I will oblige a great many that are not so.” Seneca Gratitude requires giving and in giving we are also offering of ourselves as well as building up within ourselves. “The human contribution is the essential ingredient. It is only in the giving of oneself to others that we truly live.” Ethel Percy Andrus “It is possible to give without loving, but it is impossible to love without giving.” Richard Braustein Life is about giving, sometimes what you offer to others is simply, the how, and why and where you are placed in life and many times that provides the vehicle for your journey through life and direction or a map for others. “In helping others, we shall help ourselves, for whatever good we give out completes the circle and comes back to us.” Flora Edwards “You give but little when you give of your possessions. It is when you give of yourself that you truly give.” Kahlil Gibran So often we think of giving as money or food, but in reality giving of yourself is the hardest and the still the most rewarding. Caring about people and sharing is much harder than simply providing a dollar or a can, the gratitude comes back within and through our hearts. “He who obtains has little. He who scatters has much.” Lao Tzu “A handful of pine-seed will cover mountains with the green majesty of forests. I too will set my face to the wind and throw my handful of seed on high.” Fiona Macleod When forester’s timbers a given area, often they will leave several healthy older trees to seed the remaining land. I have been in areas where clear cutting save for a few tree, has occurred and several years later a new forest has begun. But it is so important to plant seeds and to scatter them as to be a friend and to let friendships grow. “It’s not how much we give but how much love we put into giving.” Mother Teresa “The more credit you give away, the more will come back to you. The more you help others, the more they will want to help you.” Brian Tracy “There are two ways of spreading light: to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it.” Edith Wharton I remember a candlelight service so many years ago, one person carefully started with a lit candle and handed their light to another’s candle and each in turn went through the room lighting another’s and soon the room was filled with light. We are much like a candle light service if we share our light and love, and pass it on to the person next to you. It is to say thank you when you receive from another and offer always to another. So often life hands us unexpected surprises, gratitude extends and magnifies those times. Please as we get into this coming week ahead keep all in harm’s way on your mind and in your hearts and to always give thanks namaste. For all my relations Wa de (Skee) bird
Posted on: Wed, 14 Aug 2013 00:18:43 +0000
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