Acknowledging the good that you already have in your life is the foundation for all abundance. ~ Eckhart Tolle
Just a couple of years ago, my husband Phil and I wrote and published a series of gratitude journals. We did this because both of us experienced deep grief in losing a spouse and found that being intentional about a daily gratitude practice is an important part of a healthy balanced life. It hasn’t been a cure-all but it has, and continues to be, healing. Every morning, we take time to write in our gratitude journals. I must confess, there are some mornings when I wake up feeling less than grateful and it takes time for me to pick up the pen and write in that journal. And every day I am reminded that there is always something to be grateful for. But you know that, don’t you? This is not a new idea, or a specifically UU idea.
We are entering the season where we’re told “it’s time to be grateful.” That doesn’t mean that we naturally feel grateful for all that is our life. We need to take time to stop, breathe, be aware of the good that we have in our lives, and then find a way to express our gratitude. Each and every one of us has something to be grateful for. As a spiritual community we always have something to be grateful for, and not just in this season of thanksgiving. We are grateful for reaching the 200-year anniversary of our founding. We are grateful for lay leaders who give of themselves tirelessly. We are grateful for opportunities to deepen our spiritual lives by learning from one another and giving to the wider community through social action engagements and our finances.
I encourage you, as you begin to observe holidays and holy days, gather with friends and family to break bread, and enjoy the special events in our beloved community, to acknowledge the good in your life. Acknowledge the good that is already there. Some days it may not be easy to acknowledge, but it’s there. As Eckert Tolle asserts, that acknowledgement is the foundation for all abundance.
Give thanks and share your gratitude!
Grateful for each of you,
Rev. Kathleen