The Real Cost of Fossil Fuels.
Posted on January 14, 2015 1 Comment
This is a two minute video that clearly explains the literally deadly effects of approving the Keystone XL pipeline.
Gratitude – The Ubiquitous Key
Posted on January 13, 2015 8 Comments
Want career success? Practice gratitude.
Desire happy relationships? Practice gratitude.
Striving for health and fitness? Practice gratitude.
Seeking spiritual enlightenment? Practice gratitude.
This is my year of gratitude. And as any astute 21st century writer, I turned to Google to get the facts. Gratitude is a virtue, a practice, a reward, a measure of a person, the source of wealth and abundance, the foundation of all that is good.
The values and philosophies of the East and the West often seem at odds, but they meet at the intersection of gratitude. The Buddha, the source of wisdom, virtue, and enlightenment arising from the East said, Let us rise up and be thankful, for if we didn’t learn a lot today, at least we learned a little, and if we didn’t learn a little, at least we didn’t get sick, and if we got sick, at least we didn’t die; so, let us all be thankful.
From the West, we find Epictetus, a Greek philosopher of the Stoic school. He taught that, He is a wise man who does not grieve for the things which he has not, but rejoices for those which he has.
We would not think a king of capitalism and a talk-show queen have much in common but they share the throne of gratitude. Charles Schwab, grew up in Californian affluence and founded a leading banking and brokerage firm. His advice shows the importance gratitude plays in creating a successful business, The way to develop the best that is in a person is by appreciation and encouragement.
Although her life began with poverty, abuse, and struggles, Oprah Winfrey used gratitude not only to amass wealth but also to become a personality admired world-wide. Be thankful for what you have; you’ll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don’t have, you will never, ever have enough.
But, it is from those who understand that gratitude sweetens every moment do we see how gratitude is the key to open doors to a fulfilling life.
Gilbert Keith (G. K.) Chesterton was an English writer born in the late 1800s. In his lifetime he became known for his books, particularly a detective priest series. He also was a leader of the Distributist movement that supported the idea of providing small amounts of private property to all citizens.
But in his twenties he experienced a deep period of depression which he eventually overcame. His understanding of gratitude was key to his later accomplishments. I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought; and that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder.
Injustice, oppression, racism and war shape a person’s life in unplanned ways. Dietrich Bonhoeffer grew up in the large family of a leading psychologist in Germany. In 1931, he was ordained a Lutheran minister. Three years later he joined other Lutheran pastors to form the Confessing Church, a free church not controlled by the Nazi party. But in 1937, the Nazis outlawed the Confessing Church.
Bonhoeffer’s writings, eventually compiled in a book called “Ethics,” reflected his opposition to the Nazi government. That opposition culminated in his decision to participate in an effort to overthrow the government and assassinate Hitler. The plot failed and the conspirators were caught. Unfortunately Bonhoeffer was executed 21 days before Hitler committed suicide.
His life experiences and spiritual beliefs, grounded in compassion and courage, led Bonhoeffer to acknowledge the value of gratitude. In ordinary life, we hardly realize that we receive a great deal more than we give, and that it is only with gratitude that life becomes rich.
Kidnap, abandonment, sexual abuse, and addiction were traumas Melody Beattie survived in her childhood and youth. During a drug treatment program, a spiritual experience turned her life around and she never returned to addiction.
But her troubles were not over. She overcame the betrayal of her husband, who continued his alcoholism secretly and left her in debt, and later the death of her 12 year old son. Beattie wrote about her experiences, defining codependency, and has inspired millions to find the means to overcome troubled pasts and grief.
Gratitude was vital to helping her attain a life of balance and happiness. Gratitude turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos into order, confusion into clarity…it makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.
So, we see that from the spiritual to the financial worlds and all in-between, gratitude provides a foundation for fulfillment, balance, and happiness in life.
If you want to explore the benefits of creating a simple gratitude practice, Click Here.
Sources for quotes:
Motivational Quotes About Gratitude, Jeff Haden, inc. com
Terror’s religion is Evil
Posted on January 8, 2015 Leave a Comment
Here are the words of a Muslim woman who speaks of compassion and causes.
Today was another day marked by many massacres that reached Paris. As the world would also ignore the massacres of tens in Yemen and probably others that were also massacred today in Syria and in Iraq, the cruel killing of the journalists in Paris only reminds us , that cruelty of crimes, especially those that end in massacres remain too painful and leave us always with bitterness.
A footage on the attack was released some moment ago showing the shooting, where two armed men stop the car in the middle of the road in front of the Newspaper building , kill the policemen in the street with cold blood ,and go back to their car and leave.
As usual the tone in blaming muslims and islamic terror groups started to fill the air . It could be more than sarcastic to have killed the Journalists not for the cartoons that…
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#23 OF 52 GIRLS
Posted on January 7, 2015 Leave a Comment
Poetry and portraits, a pleasing combination. Enjoy.
Grateful for You
Posted on January 6, 2015 20 Comments
A noble person is mindful and thankful for the favors he receives from others. Buddha
Carefully, my small eight year old hands drew a bird in a tree on red construction paper. Next, I slowly copied my poem and story. On the last page I wrote, “What do you think of my book?” with lines below for my parents to write their responses to my first book.
From the beginning, writing was an attempt for me to create dialogue. Even when I began my first diary in fourth grade, I wrote to an imaginary Anne Frank, whose book inspired me. As time passed, my journals became a source of reflection, documentation, and creative expression.
When I found Word Press, a conscious, creative communication I longed for grew into a diverse community spanning the globe. While we may not be able to talk over our fences or visit for tea, I treasure our virtual conversations.
What I love about you is that even though we live in different countries, our ages aren’t the same, and our experiences are varied we still find common ground in appreciation of beauty, compassion, love for the earth, motivation for progressive change, justice, peace, innovation and creativity.
So, I’m happy to celebrate my birthday with you. My gift to you is my theme for this year, gratitude. I’m grateful for your consistent comments. I’m grateful for you taking time to click like. I’m grateful for you just dropping by. I’m grateful for you select e-mail readers who aren’t Word Press bloggers and continue to accept my weekly e-mail. And if, you’ve just clicked on my link from Facebook, I’m grateful to you too.
To show my gratefulness, I’m creating gifts of gratitude to share with you.
Over the past few months, I have consciously expanded my awareness and practice of gratitude and it has opened doors of intention, creativity, and fulfillment. In a couple of weeks, I will invite you to join me and expand your life with a simple gratitude practice. By spring, I’ll offer you my book on gratitude. And special offers on my other books, Mp3s, and videos will come.
So, today, I celebrate this birthday saying thank you for taking time to drop by and read my lines. And I look forward to growing in gratitude with you this year.
We should all be thankful for those people who rekindle the inner spirit. Albert Schweitzer
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2015: International Year of Soils
Posted on January 2, 2015 Leave a Comment
This is information everyone should know, celebrate, and observe. Not only is the earth our home, it is the source of our sustenance and survival on this planet. So, let’s respect, protect, and nurture our sweet soil.
Skywalker Storyteller Works 