Gratitude is the Wellspring of Kindness

 

The Root of joy is gratefulness. It is not joy that makes us grateful.

it is gratitude that makes us joyful.

                                     Brother David Steindl-Rast

 

What do we do when we hear about everything that is going wrong in the world? It is so easy to let our minds carry us into visions of a future that we cannot control – that will threaten all the good we have in our lives.

At times like that, how do we get back to feeling good about our lives?

For me, the quickest way to shift my energy is to think about the things in my life that I feel good about:

• The people I love and who love me,
• Special times with my husband when we share what is in our hearts and minds,
• The kindnesses I have received or observed others receiving,
• The things in my life that I appreciate – the beauty of the world around me, my home, and the items that make my daily life easier and more pleasant,
• Things that give me joy,
• Thoughts of daughter, my son, and my granddaughters.

I think about my granddaughter, Mia, who, after lunch in a restaurant with her mom, shared her take-home bag with a homeless man they met on the street. I think of the acts of kindness I have received and observed - reminding me of the good in the people around me.

As I consider gratitude, I realize that it provides an energy within me that makes it easier for me to be kind. Being grateful fills me with a feeling of appreciation that colors everything I see, every person I encounter.

The key is to catch ourselves as our thoughts take us deeper into fear or anger or despair – then shift to thoughts of gratitude.

We benefit immediately, because those thoughts feel good – and the energy we send out to world around us will uplift and embrace others. From those feelings, we naturally incline to kindness.

Some of my inspiration comes from Brother David Steindl-Rast, of Gratefulness.org. He reminds us that "Everything is a gift. If we were aware of this, gratefulness would overwhelm us. But we go through life in a daze.”

So, how do we become more grateful? “By becoming aware that every moment is a gift.”

“This moment,” he says, “with all the opportunities it contains is the most valuable thing ever given to us. If we miss the opportunity of this moment, then another moment is given to us and another moment.”

That got me thinking about how I am using the moments in my day? How can I live with more gratitude?

Brother David has a simple practice he calls, “Stop. Look. Go.”

Stop.

Wherever you are, remember to stop what you’re doing for a moment. Get quiet.

Look.

Open your eyes and all your senses for the wonderful richness that is around you in this moment. Open your heart to the opportunity before you.

Go

When we open our hearts to what lies before us in that moment, life usually offers us the opportunity to enjoy the beauty or inspiration before us. Sometimes it is an opportunity to help others, which requires something from us. We can see it as a gift of the moment – an invitation from life for us to act with kindness.

At this moment, I am feeling deep gratitude for a 4-week long experience I recently shared with 70 people from around the world.  We shared our stories, read uplifting articles, answered questions that invited us to go deep and discover more about ourselves and to share what we learned. Strangers became family. Hesitance turned into eager sharing. Creative ideas blossomed, and commitments were made to live a life of service.

We were members of a "Laddership Pod," one of several programs offered by ServiceSpace - an organization run entirely by volunteers. ServiceSpace leverages technology to encourage everyday people around the world to do small acts of service. Our aim is to ignite the fundamental generosity in ourselves and others, creating both inner and outer transformation.

I am still filled with gratitude for the expanding, life enriching experience of sharing that journey with so many kind, generous people with open hearts and minds.

Gratefulness can change our world in immensely important ways. Perhaps the most important is that it lays the foundation from which we are inclined to take our love out into the world through acts of kindness and generosity, feeling our kinship with one another.

And with our gratitude and kindness, we bring joy to ourselves and everyone we meet.

For an extra treat, I invite you to take a journey with Louie Schwartzberg and Brother David Steindl-Rast.

Enjoy!

Gratitude | Louie Schwartzberg | TEDxSF

 

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We’re grateful that you are on this journey with us.

With love from our hearts to yours,

Pat and Larry