Meditation Monday
If the only prayer you ever offer is "Thank You,"
that will suffice.
~Meister Eckhart
Join Our 30-Day Pilgrimage into Joy!that will suffice.
~Meister Eckhart
Day 22: We name our blessings and offer gratitude, for gratitude is the twin sister of Joy.
Today a prayer of deep thanks is upon my lips.
I learned early this morning that the niece I am closest to was in a serious boating accident last night. The boat she was riding in was struck by a drunk boater just as she was climbing aboard after tubing.
As I write this (therapeutically, I might add, for it helps to focus and put words to the feelings), she is in recovery after having surgery for a shattered arm. She has deep lacerations on her neck and had teeth knocked out. She is bruised and beaten.
But she is alive, and for that I am so very grateful ... grateful ... grateful. I trust and pray she will heal with time. I thank God she was not on the tube and struck, or that her face was not seriously damaged, or ... or ...there is SO much to be grateful for.
I also pray that her psyche will not suffer, for I know firsthand the effects PTSD can have on a young woman. I pray for her parents, my brother and sister-in-law, who treasure this beautiful girl so, as do we all. I pray for the man whose negligence has caused such pain. May he learn and grow from this experience. May we all enfold our anguish with gratitude.
And so, on this Meditation Monday, I invite you to pause and join me in offering a prayer of thanks for the blessings in your life. For the miracles. For the gifts. For the Divine interventions which take place each and every day.
Sit. Take a few deep breaths to quiet yourself—to relax your body and slow your thoughts. Let stillness wash over you. Open your mind, open your heart, and let Gratitude in. May these words wash over you and bring you peace ... and back into the arms of Joy.
If every time
we felt the beat of our heart
we were reminded to say,
"Thank You"
what abundance and joy we would have!*
Now, does your heart have anything to say?
May your day be blessed,
Jan
~~~~~
*Excerpted from Awakening the Spirit Within by Jan (Forrest) Lundy.
(Image of water crystals responding to the words "Love and Gratitude," courtesy of Masaru Emoto. Image: www.intentionmediainc.com)
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23 comments:
Oh my gosh, Jan, I am so sorry about your niece! I pray for her early recovery! Please advise her to use a lot of orange however she can...foods, juices, clothing, an orange spray, orange linens or blankets, for orange helps to heal shock and trauma to the body and to the soul. I will be keeping all of you in my prayers. Sending peace and love.....
Jan, I am very sorry about your niece's accident. I do hope she recovers soon and I will be thinking good thoughts for her and your family.
Thank you for today's gentle meditation!
That's terrible news, yet, as you say, filled to overflowing with blessings. Heartfelt prayers go out to her, you, and your family.
I love the last reference to saying thank you with every beat of our heart.
Healing Hug!
Carolynn
I am keeping your niece close to my heart & in my thoughts & prayers. What a blessing that was not in the tube at the time of the accident!! Praying for her speedy recovery, body & soul.
Oh I am so sorry to read this. What a terrible accident, thankfully your niece wasn't hurt more seriously than this. How frightening the incident must have been to just be blindsided like that! Sending thoughts and prayers her way for a peaceful, restful recovery as she comes to terms with the aftermath of this. Prayers to you and her family too.
I to am grateful that your niece is alive Jan. I know she will heal with God's love and comfort.
Today joy surrounds me and I am deeply grateful. :)
Oh Jan! I am so sorry about your niece, but grateful that she is alive. I am so thankful for my life...I am blessed. Everyday I pray and give thanks. I will say prayers for your niece... Big ((hugs)) to you and your family.
Hi dear Jan ~
I'm so very sorry to hear about your niece, and will keep her and all of you in my prayers.
Meister Eckhart is so wise, and this is one of my favorite quotes. I've often been comforted by the idea that a simple, heartfelt "thank you" can be one of the most powerful prayers.
You are in my thoughts, my friend.
Love and hugs,
Angela
i add my relief that your niece is on the mend...
those heart-stopping phone calls where a moment has changed the course of a day, a week, sometimes even a life seem to make time stand still as we go motionless inside ourselves... realizing how very vulnerable we are, and those we love ...
and though we don't focus on the dangers out there with everything we do or else risk never living life at all, it is in these moments when everything is more precious... we want to hold those we hold dear that much closer... and there is more of everything... gratitude, and most especially, love... somehow nothing else really matters...
we all carry around wounds and traumas and the batterings of living a life... sharing those burdens with one another makes them a bit lighter...
thank you for sharing yours today...
my very best wishes for a gentle healing time for her, and for your family...
My sorrow at this news is engulfed in gratitude for the many blessings that surround and live in the midst of this tragedy. Now I add prayer for your beloved niece, her family and for you too Jan.
Thank you all for your very kind words, support and prayers for my niece. The vigil continues, her surgery went well, and they are keeping an eye out for back, neck and head injuries. What I didn't mention earlier, because I did not want to be so graphic is that, truly, this was a miracle. The boat actually hit her and sliced her neck. Deep gashes. If it had just been a touch closer to the cartoid artery, she might not have survived.
Situations like do wake us up a bit, don't they? Then when some time passes, it seems we begin to lose touch with it. We get sleepy again and take so many things for granted. I think that is why I love the Buddhist principle so much that speaks of "this precious life." How rare it is to have a precious human birth and that we must be ever mindful of that. We may not pass this way again ...
I love that quote. And that pic made my heart open up even more. Is that a crystal at the frequency of love? Really stunning...
Oh, Jan. I send heartfelt prayers for you and your family. There is no way to predict the moment when life will change. With the phone call your heart stops, and then life begins again in a new and different way. Wishing you peace~
May you and your family be blessed with continuing miracles, gifts and divine interventions.
If I lived a little close I would love to bring my bag of tricks to the healing table for your neice. Perhaps some Rescue Remedy for the shock, Arnica for bruising and swelling, some soul music and lots of paint, pastels and paper . . .
Alas, I live far away. So can only hold your family up in the light in my prayers.
My thoughts and prayers go out to you and your family. I pray for healing for your niece: body, heart and soul. I’m so thankful she was being watched over and not hurt worse.
May you find comfort today and feel the warmth of prayers wrap around you and your family holding you soft and tender in an embrace of Love and Hope and Healing… Love, Light and Prayers. Nina P.
prayers of comfort, healing and support your niece and family. and how powerful to let that focus us on the blessings of our LIFE.
thank you.
Sending lots of prayers, hugs and love for your niece's speedy recovery. There is always a blessing if we look for it :-).
Hello all,
Pardon this "group" response. You are all so kindhearted to hold my niece and family in prayer and positivity.
Diantha and Kel, I certainly appreciate your holistic approaches to healing. That is how I live my life and when my children are ailing, we go that route. Unfortunately, my family of origin does not abide by anything but very traditional medicine, so as much as I would like to offer this great info to them, it would not be received. :-) I am ok with that, to each his own. But please know the "remedies" you've offered here I am taking note of and will log them into my own toolbox. Thank you!
And Sharon, what you say is so true. When the phone rings, we never know when everything can change in a nanosecond. So important for us to live in this moment with appreciation for all who grace our lives. Kindness matters!
My prayer today remains "Thank you!" :-)
Love to you all! Blessings upon you...
Molly,
Welcome. I am so glad you stopped by and that the picture opened your heart. Yes, it IS a water crystal that responded to the words "Love and Gratitude." Very cool, huh? Blessings!
Susan (cream city...),
Thank you for visiting as well and I appreciate your very kind thoughts. The prayers always help. Blessings!
This post is so dear. Whenever I am silently saying grace at the dinner table, I remember sometimes to say it out loud so N can understand and appreciate the process and effects of gratitide. She's usually thankful for the same thing every time, her monkey, Payton, but it's still precious.
May your niece open in new ways, and face fear with a brave heart filled with love.
BTW, got the letter:)
Mermaid,
What a lovely practice you share here. And how adorable that your N is grateful for her companion! :-) Out of the mouths of babes, the Joy and gratitude to be found in simple things. Thank you for the well wishes, too. Healing is happening...
Somehow I missed this post during our power outage, and didn't catch up. But I add my heartfelt prayers for your niece's recovery. Please keep us posted.
I love it ! Very creative ! That's actually really cool Thanks.
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