Giving Thanks

Giving Thanks

When you can see the good in any situation,
my Bubby would say,
then you know everything will be okay.
She taught me
that seeking the blessings,
seeing what I had to be grateful for in my life
would change my perspective.
Sometimes it has taken longer for me
to give thanks, then others,
but if I work at it,
I can change my perspective
and gain a new vision.
It is never too late to give thanks.
So decades later
I can give thanks for the people who bullied me,
before bullying was even a thing,
because they taught me how to stand up for myself,
to use my voice to speak truth to power.
I can give thanks for my parents separation
and them getting back together
because it taught me what it takes to get through
and to love someone unconditionally.
I have learned how to give thanks for this moment,
because doing so keeps me centered
and focused on peace.
Giving thanks for this moment
takes away any anxiety or stress,
because I am in this moment,
not the past or the future.
Giving thanks for the future,
enables me to see
what I am supposed to see
and know what I am supposed to know,
no more and no less.
Giving thanks for what is to come
keeps me excited
and positive
because I know that no matter what it brings
the blessings will be in it
and I will find them
and give thanks for them
and grow because of them. 

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Happy

Happy

I remember the first time I heard the Happy song.
I just wanted to clap along
and could spend all day listening to it
and singing it.
What I was really happy about
was all that I had to be grateful for.
What makes me happy is my life.
I have times that are easier then others,
but in every moment of every day
is something for me to give thanks for
and it is in the midst of the thanksgiving
that I am happy.
I have been taught to give thanks
in all circumstances
and when I do I am
happy.
So like Pharrell Williams
it might seem crazy what I am about to say
but when you are done,
try giving thanks
in the midst of all
and know that in the midst of your truth
is happiness.
Create your own way to give thanks
in the midst of doing so
you may find yourself
happy.

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Thank You

Thank You

What are you thanking me for?
it’s what they wanted to know.
Thank you are the two words I work at saying
to as many people as I can each day.
Thanking others,
helps keep me humble
and reminds me how blessed I am.
Saying thank you
is a way of blessing them.
It is a way of living by grace
and finding reasons to be grateful
and give thanks
even when we are not sure if or why.
As I move through my life
I try to find someone to thank.
Not just the one’s easy to thanks,
but the one’s that challenge me to dig
deeper into my life
and find a reason to say
thank you.

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In My Museum

In My Museum

I love the memories that live
in my heart, mind, and soul.
I began thinking about them as museums,
while watching a video on a museum of banned books.
I have memories that should be banned,
but not for some of the reasons books are.
They remain,
because they have helped me become who I am.
However, my museums are also filled
with memories of love.
Sometimes I just want to stop what I am doing
and go to these museums.
Like the museums of art, science and history
I enjoy visiting,
my museums are filled with collections
of memories which have left a precious memory behind.
I love going,
browsing,
taking in,
and reflecting
on each piece in the collection.
Sometimes when I look at a memory,
I see something new in it.
In each piece,
I find something to be grateful for,
something that warms me
and sometimes memories that bring me to tears.
I know I cannot live in my museums,
but they are an amazing place to visit
and remember
and give thanks for each collection,
individually and in its entirety.

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Appreciation

Appreciation

Every morning I write in my gratitude journal,
but one day I read what if you wrote about
more then what I was grateful for,
but why I was giving thanks.
What is it about that person, place, or thing
I appreciate.
What if I took a moment to tell each person
what I appreciated about them?
What if I lifted up a quality about them
that touched me and I valued?
I started with one of my paratransit drivers.
I told him I appreciated how
he always made me feel like more
than just a passenger.
He always asks about my life and my family.
I told him what I appreciated about him and
this husky man reached over
with tears in his eyes
and hugged me.
His response made me realize
expressing our appreciation,
not only touches others
but it touches us.
It helps us not only give thanks
but think about why we do.
It helps us deepen our connections
with others and with ourselves.

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Triggers

Triggers

Most people I know
avoid that which triggers them.
Some want to blame the trigger.
Some want to blame not being warned
about potential triggers.
However, the world is full of triggers
and most of us do not know
what our own triggers are
never mind others.
Triggers are not
inherently bad.
Triggers can be gifts.
Without triggers we may not know
what we need to work on next.
Triggers challenge us to work on us
so we can heal, grow, evolve and transform
and move on through the next set of
triggers

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Beginning with the Toilet

Beginning with the Toilet

That’s right
the toilet.
it is probably one of those moments
when the last thing you think about
is the Divine.
I didn’t until the day I could not pee.
then I began to see what a gift it is
to have one and to use it.
I began by giving thanks for the toilet
and the people who designed it,
created it,
manufacture it, and
install it.
then I realized without water
I could not flush it
and I began giving thanks for the water system
and all those involved
in making it what it is today in our country.
It's amazing how many people and things
we begin to be grateful for
when we look at the everday
with new eyes and see
the Divine in everyday moments.
I began with the toilet
what everyday routine might you begin with.  

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My Refrigerator

My Refrigerator

So much in life is automated,
my refrigerator, on the other hand,
is filled with produce that is hand picked.
it means that someone is working hard
to harvest the tomatoes, carrots, peppers, berries
and so much more that is in my refrigerator just waiting on me
to prepare it.
My refrigerator is filled with the labor of others.
None of this just appeared in my refrigerator.
It was hand picked by others.
Someone sweated,
strained their bodies
wiped away their sweat,
got callouses on their hands,
and gave so they could put food on their tables
and on mine.
So much cannot be machine harvested
because of its individual ripening times and
it's delicacy.
What if we thought about where our food came from and
gave thanks for those who helped get it to us?
What if we remembered those who labored
so we could be fed?   
Would it helps us eat with an attitude of gratitude
instead of just eating?

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Cradling

Cradling

I remember fondly
the day you let me hold your baby.
As I cradled them,
I remembered how it feels
when someone holds me.
There are times
I am like a spiritual infant
being cradled by the Ultimate.
I hear these quietly silent whispers
reminding me of my gifts and beauty,
telling me how strong I am,
even when I feel weak.
While I am cradled
I give thanks for
each moment I am able to
give to and receive from
the world.
At times, this feels as if
I am being
cradled in the water
and feel love flowing
in and through me.
All this happens
while the Ultimate
is cradling me
in a space defying description
and one I never want to leave.

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Pain in the A**

Pain in the A**

We all know someone
we consider to be a
pain in the A**.
I have met quite a few people like that
in my life.
They are the ones who get on your last nerve,
who are like heat sinking missiles
They do not stay in your life long,
but they are there for a reason.
They have been some of the greatest teachers
in my life.
They have saved me thousands of dollars
in therapy.
pressing every button
I  have to be pressed.
They have taught me invaluable lessons,
helped me develop some of my gifts
showed me what I need to work on next and
then left when they were done.
They have reminded me of how much I appreciate
some of the most challenging teachers I had in college.
Grateful for them, but
glad to see them go at the same time.
They are the ones who make me say
Thank you for being a
pain in my a**.

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Thank You

Thank You

Have you ever had something
which had served its purpose
and was no longer of use.
Like socks that are now holey
or shoes that are no longer repairable
or clothes that have been worn out.
As soon as my new shoes arrive,
I will say goodbye to the ones
who have served me for 14 years.
As I think about all they have seen me through,
all the steps they have taken with me,
and all the protection they have given me,
it seems wrong
to just throw them
in the trash.
So instead,
I will wrap them in love,
bury them in a box
and say thank you.
Somehow it seems
like that is the right thing to do.

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My Fingers

My Fingers

I sit at my desk for hours
typing away,
my fingers seem to be at work
from the moment I get up
to the moment I retire
and then some.  
Yet I am not sure
I have ever stopped and given thanks
for my fingers.
They have typed countless words,
Helped me pick things up,
Hold things like cups, bowls, and silverware
I have carried things with them,
played games with them,
texted with them
written with them,
run them through my fingers
massaged others,
intertwined them with others
and the list goes on.
Now that I am slowly learning
to sign I use them to communicate with others
My fingers
Why have I not ever thought
to give thanks
for my fingers

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An Apple a Day

An apple a day, they say,
keeps the doctor away.
That is fine and great,
but what about the non medical struggles
An acquaintance of mine used to say,
a good heart
keeps away the farts.
Those people who smell
up your life

My gratitude journal
keeps me humble.
My inspiration journal
keeps me open.
My intention journal
keeps me focused.
My joy journal
keeps me balanced
My writing
keeps me growing

What are the apples
in your life?
Is your heart
keeping away the farts?
What do you practice
to keep you healthy?

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Thank You

We tend to thank you
for so many things.
We thank you for
what we have,
our friends,
family,
and all we have been given.

Today may we also thank you
for what we do not have.
May we remember to thank you
for the illnesses we do not have,
for the challenges we do not face,
for the possessions we do not own,
for the poverty we do not experience.
For all we do not own,
we thank you.

We thank you
for our first world issues,
for the things we do not
even realize we have.
For all we have and
all we do not have
we thank you.
Amen.

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Thank You

To all the people who have gotten on my nerves,
Thank you.
You have taught me so much
about myself.
You have taught me to
turn the mirror on myself
and see that same quality
in myself and learn from it,
so thank you.

To all the people who have hurt me
Thank you.
You too have taught me to
look at why I allowed you to do so.
You helped me grow and become
more aware of where I needed to heal,
what expectations I needed to release, and
what else I needed to release in my own life,
so thank you.

To all the people who have not lived up
to my expectations.
Thank you.
You have taught me to look at what
I was still expecting and not aware o.
You have reminded me of the difference
between expectation and agreement.
You have helped me to seek clarification,
in those situations where I did not have it,
so thank you.

To all those who have helped me to grow,
because something you did hurt me,
disappointed me,
let me down,
irritated me,
or just got on my last nerve,
thank you.

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Saying Goodbye

It was almost 30 years ago
when I bought that black sweater.
Over the years,
it has kept me warm,
gone on dates,
seen me through
good times and bad.
My black sweater stayed
with me longer than
some friends.

Then the day came,
that I had to say goodbye.
I was so worn out and tattered
I could no longer wear it
not even at home.
There was something about saying
goodbye
to this sweater that had seen me through
30 years of life.

So as I prepared to let it go
I took a moment to give thanks
for all the dates it had been on with me
for the days it had kept me warm,
for the tears and the laughter it has shared, and
for so much more then
I could remember
or I could put into words.

As we release the old,
may we remember to honor
all it has seen us through
and give thanks for the ways
we have been served and blessed

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