Gratitude

I have started this blog in part to discuss how we can integrate our spiritual principles into the workplace. How we can bring our mindful, calm self into each interaction we have in our jobs.  It may seem that we can only control ourselves, but often our thoughts and actions create an energy that is picked up by others, who can then respond in kind. One of the most common themes in various workplaces is that many employees do not feel valued by their employers.  In the non-profit sector where I work, we give out our energy continuously for small remuneration. We do not choose this work for the money, we do it to make a difference for others. All they ask for is to maybe, sometimes, be thanked... Yes, it's nice when clients or other colleagues thank us , but it matters even more when it comes from our supervisors.  I don't think the failure to express gratitude is a purposeful, malicious act.. I do think it is due to a lack of understanding of how important it is.

A phenomenon about gratitude is that when you express it sincerely for something in your own life you are grateful for, or when you give it to others, you are creating a high vibration that makes it more possible for you to receive in return.

I recently hosted a staff holiday gathering and brought little handwritten thank you/holiday cards and tiny packs of gum with the phrase "You are Beautiful. Don't Change." written on each one. I did not expect anything in return, (as I had come to accept over the years).  Before the party, a funny thing happened. One of the staff had emailed me to say that her church wanted to pay for all eight of us to enjoy lunch, as an expression of their gratitude to the work that people like us do in the community.  And then at the party another staff person showed up with Christmas cookies she had baked. Another brought some trivia cards (as conversation starters).  And we all enjoyed a hearty lunch of Thai vegetables, noodles and rice with cookies and mints for dessert.

When freely given, gratitude can be freely received.

Solstice Reflections

Greetings dear friends, and happy winter solstice.  This night is a time for reflecting on our lives, giving thanks, and integrating nature into our daily lives.  Nature, filled with spiritual vitality and energy, is where the world as it was initially created still exists, in its purity.  I made the point of taking a moment to go outside tonight to breathe in the cool, dark air, looking up at the naked twists of tree limbs as silhouettes against the sky.  Getting outdoors in nature replenishes our souls, kind of like a boost of fresh orange juice when you have a sore throat.  Nature is the cathedral I choose to enter for my daily nourishment.  

Sharing the Magic Within

"Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:

God is not dead, nor doth he sleep;

The wrong shall fail, the right prevail,

With peace on earth, goodwill to men [all]."

- Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Today I listened to a choir perform the hymn "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day" in the The Magic of Christmas performance with our local symphony orchestra.  Truly, music is one of the deepest expression of our souls.  It speaks to each of us and touches something deep inside us, our soul.

On the Other Side, I believe that the souls/angels/beings there sing in unison much like we do today in venues like this: singing is one of the most profound ways to express our spirit.  And when a multitude of humans sings together in one place, the vibration created by the energy and love and power generated in that room lifts up our souls in joy and love, resonating perfectly with our higher selves for at least that moment in time.  If we can just keep this joyful feeling, this high vibration for a bit longer, if we could carry it home with us in the car and bring it to work with us the next day, and share it with everyone we come in contact with, wouldn't the world be that much better for just that day?

This is what this blog is about.  How can we bring our highest selves with us everywhere we go?  So we don't leave them behind in the concert hall or in the yoga studio or wherever else we access them?  We are at the point in our evolution when it is imperative that we do so.  And most of us will.

"God is not dead, nor doth he sleep."  (Insert the word "Universal Love" or "Benevolent Life Force" or "Higher Spirits" for the term "God," which often leads us astray since the pronoun has been much abused in our time (another blog topic for another day).  These words, written during a time of war in our society, still resonate today, sadly. Still, I choose to believe that "the right," or simply put, love and kindness, will prevail, if we can learn to carry and spread our inner goodness to all those we touch, in each moment of our daily lives.