November 2005 ~ Thanks

As children most of us to were taught to say “thank you” when someone gave us a gift or did something nice for us. This was part of being polite and, in and of itself, was a good habit to cultivate. However, there is more to saying “thanks” than being polite. Brother David Steindl-Rast, author of “Gratitude~The Heart of Prayer” says this: “Love wholeheartedly, be surprised, give thanks and praise. Then you will discover the fullness of your life.” Giving thanks and praise as a path to the fullness of life is a very powerful idea. It was no less a sage than Willie Nelson who said, “When I started counting my blessings, my whole life turned around!”

Certainly we find thanksgiving and praise supported by the writings of the Bible. Some of these writings are what we often call “hard sayings.” They are teachings that we know are good, but which are, nevertheless, difficult to practice. One of these teachings is found in I Thessalonians 5:16-18:

“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”

Give thanks in all circumstances! Not just when the gift or the action is pleasant or desirable, but even when the gift or action is painful or undesirable. This takes gratitude to a whole new level and points to the value of making it a practice that is grounded in spiritual principle.

To view giving thanks as God’s Will for us may suggest that God requires our thanks, that our praise gratifies or pleases God. Many believe this. But for those of us who are learning to understand God as Principle rather than as a person, the concept of thanks and praise as God’s Will means something else. I especially like the way Charles Fillmore speaks of this. He says, "The purpose of praise is to awaken in ourselves a higher realization of the omnipresence and power of God. Prayer and praise change us, not God. Through an inherent law of mind action we increase whatever we praise!" We increase whatever we praise! And then, we have his often quoted words: “One can praise a weak body into strength, a fearful heart into peace and trust, shattered nerves into poise and power, a failing business into prosperity and success, want and insufficiency into supply and support!” (RW, pg 152)

November, the month of Thanksgiving, is upon us. I will not repeat the history of the holiday here, but I will remind us that just as “30 days hath September…” so doth November. I invite you to join me in making a new commitment to making this a month of conscious praise and thanksgiving. Here are some suggestions for ways to practice the “attitude of gratitude” for 30 days (or longer!).

1. The Gratitude Journal (a way to count your blessings!)
For 30 days, write three things each day that you are grateful for. You may use a small notebook or even the computer. You may like this so much that you will want to keep on! Remember Willie Nelson.

2. Thank You Notes
For 30 days, write a note each day to someone you appreciate in some way. These may be sent by snail mail or by email… or even hand delivered. Many of them will go to people you know well. Some may be written for people you have never met. You may wish to write something like this: Dear _____, during this month of thanksgiving, I want to thank you for ______________. You have made a positive difference in my world and I am grateful.

3. Gratefulness.org
This is a wonderful website that I enjoy very much. You can “subscribe” and for 30 days or until you “unsubscribe” you will receive a daily quote relating to living gratefully. There are many other lovely features on this website, including a place to “light” a prayer candle.

4. Psalms of Praise
For 30 days, read from the Book of Psalms. You will find many of the psalms contain words of praise and thanksgiving! Many of these are found in the latter part of the book. Choose a psalm like 100 or 150. Read it often. Write it in your own words. Write your own psalm of praise and thanksgiving.

Writing from scripture is one of my favorite ways to pray (and praise!). I will close by wishing you and yours a Happy Thanksgiving and by sharing one of my psalms.

Psalm 150 Revisited

Praise God!

Praise God in the holy temple that is your body!
Praise God in the unlimited universe that is your mind!

Praise God for the good you have received!
Praise God for the good that is beyond measure!

Praise God with your laughter,
Praise God with your tears,

Praise God with your dreaming,
Praise God with your doing.

Praise God with your unity,
Praise God with your diversity.

Let everything that breathes, let everything that lives,
Praise God!

jbm

October 2005 ~ Home

I should have been born in October. It is my absolutely most favorite month. My mother was born in October, but that is not why it is my favorite. Wayne and I were married in October, but that is not why it is my favorite. Halloween happens in October and Halloween has always been one of my favorite holidays, but that is not why the month appeals to me.

Perhaps I love October because it is the first real month of autumn. September still has summer clinging to it but October is truly fall… with cooler weather and just a hint of winter in the air. I remember the smell of October in my hometown…the smoke of leaves raked into a pile and burned, before burn permits were required. I remember the gathering of the last fruit from the trees and the last vegetables from the garden. Screens came out of the windows and an extra blanket was folded across the foot of the bed. October, then and now, is a feeling that I can best describe as homing. Homing is defined as “orienting or directing homeward or to a destination.” Spring and summer are all about getting “out.” Autumn and winter are about coming “in” and it begins with October.

Many of us have moved from here to there during our lifetime. Many of us know what it is to pack your stuff and carry it all to a new town, a new house or apartment, a new community of people. In today’s world, many people define “home” as where they are at the moment or as being with those they love. This speaks to a growing awareness that “home” is not the same as “house,” even though certain houses become very dear. A friend of mine was having a hard time finding a house when she moved to a new location. She wailed, “I have no home!” Her husband wisely said, “You have a home. You just don’t have a house to put it in!”

At a recent gathering, the subject of “home” came up and I suggested we write a collective poem by each of us completing a sentence beginning with the words “home is…” Later, I shaped the sentences into this poem.

Home is ~
Where comfort is
Where love, warmth and laughter are shared,
Where joys and sorrows are shared,
Where I am always welcome,
and I can return again and again.
Home is Love.

Home is ~
My refuge,
A place of love, laughter, harmony and joy,
Wherever my imagination takes me,
The way I feel when safety and love surround me,
enfold me, protect me and lead me to Peace.
Home is Within.

Home is within. That’s the key, isn’t it? The key that unlocks the door to that place deep within us where God is always waiting, always warm and welcoming, always providing what we need. The writer of the 23rd Psalm was talking about the home within when he said, “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil. My cup runs over!” Jesus was talking about the home within when he said, “And when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.” (Matthew 6:6)

As spiritual beings having a human experience, we are equipped with a homing device, something that orients or directs us homeward, to our destination. We might not all agree about what the device is, but I believe it is prayer. Prayer is natural. And while classes and instruction can deepen our understanding about prayer and clarify our practice of prayer, prayer itself is instinctive. Its not even about faith or believing. Prayer is rooted and grounded in what we are by divine design. Everybody prays…even E.T. Everybody wants to go home.

At the beginning of this jotting, I mentioned several things that make October special for me… my mother’s birthday, Wayne’s and my anniversary… Halloween… actually, our anniversary and Halloween are one. We were married on Halloween morning! We like to joke about whether our marriage has turned out to be a trick or a treat! In fact, it was my intention to use that as my theme this month and to share some thoughts about pessimism and optimism and the glass being half empty or half full! But when I sat down to write, my fingers and my mind took off in another direction and so, here we are, ready to wrap it up with one more thought.

We often use the word “home” as a metaphor for “heaven” or the afterlife. When Jesus was preparing his disciples for his leaving, he promised them a home. He said, “In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am, there you may be also.” (John 14:2,3) While Jesus was speaking of a “dwelling place” in another realm, perhaps his words have meaning for us, right here and now. For we are always living in God’s ”great house of love,” as Wayne often calls it. And each of us has a room.

jbm