Gratitude.

Brother David Steindl-Rast, a Benedictine monk and often called the 'grandfather of gratitude' says...

"When you are grateful, you are not fearful, and when you are not fearful, you are not violent. When you are grateful, you act out of a sense of enough and not out of a sense of scarcity, and you are willing to share. If you are grateful, you are enjoying the differences between people and respectful to all people. The grateful world is a world of joyful people. Grateful people are joyful people. A grateful world is a happy world.”

Watch his TEDTalk here (approx a 15 min listen)... Want to be happy? Be grateful | David Steindl-Rast

Our mantra for the week is...

I am grateful.

I have everything I need.

My heart is filled with the abundance in my life.

Our journaling prompt is…

Write about specific experiences, thoughts, ideas that fill you with gratitude. Describe your gratitude in detail. Notice emotions, sensations in the body as you write. Describe how gratitude creates emotional changes and sensational changes in your body.

Write for 5-20 minutes.

Practice this daily. At the end of 3 days, write about any changes that you have seen in your body, your mind, your life. Do this again weekly, monthly. Watch how a practice of gratitude softens the heart.

And our meditation is...

Find a comfortable seat. This can be sitting on the floor, in a chair. This can be laying down or even standing with support. You can choose to keep your eyes open or close them gently.

Connect to the sensation of your breath. Say "I am breathing in. I am breathing out." for 7-10 breaths. Be here in the breath.

Think 3 thoughts of gratitude. "One. I am grateful for... Two, I am grateful for... Three, I am grateful for..."

Bring your hand to your heart. Feel the sensation of gratitude resting here. Stay here with your hand resting, your attention and intention in gratitude. Be here in gratitude for as long as you need or want.

Return to your day, rooted in the practice of gratitude.