Weekly reflections on spirituality and health
Reflection for the week of November 24
What counts on your path to fulfillment is that we remember the great truth that moments of surprise want to teach us; everything is gratuitous, everything is a gift. The degree to which we are awake to this truth is the measure of our gratefulness. And gratefulness is the measure of our aliveness. Are we not dead to whatever we take for granted? Surely to be numb is to be dead. For those who awaken to life through surprise, death lies behind, not ahead. To live life open for surprise, in spite of all of the dying which life implies, makes us even more alive.
Brother David Steindl-Rast
During this week when we celebrate Thanksgiving, I will also call your attention to www.gratefulness.org. This is the website of Brother David Steindl-Rast, who has written extensively about gratefulness, has been actively involved in Buddhist-Christian dialogue since the 1960s and has collaborated with Thomas Merton on initiatives of spiritual renewal. His nonsectarian/nondenominational website has readings, information on gratefulness practices and some intriguing and touching e-exercises, including a virtual candle-lighting practice.
Heading out later this week on our annual trek to our winter home in Tucson. See you next on December 15. Have a great Thanksgiving with family and friends.
I have been distributing short, nonsectarian email reflections on spirituality, health and wellness since 2004. They come out (almost all) Mondays. If you would like to receive these, please send your name and email to me at [email protected]
You are also welcome to download a file with the complete collection of reflections that I have sent since 2004. I may not update this weekly, but it will be close. After this many years, there are many duplicates (great wisdom needs to be repeated and show up every so often!) but there are many hundreds of unique entries. Click on the link below, and enjoy!
Fred
What counts on your path to fulfillment is that we remember the great truth that moments of surprise want to teach us; everything is gratuitous, everything is a gift. The degree to which we are awake to this truth is the measure of our gratefulness. And gratefulness is the measure of our aliveness. Are we not dead to whatever we take for granted? Surely to be numb is to be dead. For those who awaken to life through surprise, death lies behind, not ahead. To live life open for surprise, in spite of all of the dying which life implies, makes us even more alive.
Brother David Steindl-Rast
During this week when we celebrate Thanksgiving, I will also call your attention to www.gratefulness.org. This is the website of Brother David Steindl-Rast, who has written extensively about gratefulness, has been actively involved in Buddhist-Christian dialogue since the 1960s and has collaborated with Thomas Merton on initiatives of spiritual renewal. His nonsectarian/nondenominational website has readings, information on gratefulness practices and some intriguing and touching e-exercises, including a virtual candle-lighting practice.
Heading out later this week on our annual trek to our winter home in Tucson. See you next on December 15. Have a great Thanksgiving with family and friends.
I have been distributing short, nonsectarian email reflections on spirituality, health and wellness since 2004. They come out (almost all) Mondays. If you would like to receive these, please send your name and email to me at [email protected]
You are also welcome to download a file with the complete collection of reflections that I have sent since 2004. I may not update this weekly, but it will be close. After this many years, there are many duplicates (great wisdom needs to be repeated and show up every so often!) but there are many hundreds of unique entries. Click on the link below, and enjoy!
Fred
| freds_reflections_collection.doc |