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Welcome! This is a place to share how we celebrate & deepen our relationship to Nature. Here you will find stories, images, & ideas about wilderness, human nature, & soulfulness. Drawing from the experiences of everyday living, the topics on this blog include: forays into the natural world, the writing life, community service, meditation, creativity, grief & loss, inspiration, & whatever else emerges from these. I invite you on this exploration of the wild within & outside of us: the inner/outer landscape.



Friday, November 4, 2016

Giving Thanks: Reminders of the Basics

I am blessed. I have been given many gifts – of body, of emotion, of mind, of spirit. 

Gratitude, the feeling of thankfulness, begins with awareness, an acknowledgement, of the things that enrich my life. Being able to notice what these are, to name and identify them, is the first step on the journey of gratitude. Make a gratitude list.

Saying “thank you” is crucial too. Sometimes my expectations get in the way and I forget the many kindnesses, favors, and loving gestures that I receive on a daily basis…partly because I have come to expect them. Say "thank you."

Giving away what I have to offer is another aspect of gratitude. I don’t mean skimming off the top—sloughing off from my hoard that which I won’t miss or can’t use. Gratitude is giving no matter what. Be generous and open-hearted.

The interesting thing about gratitude is that I can cultivate it. I grow thankfulness by reaching out to somebody else. When I'm feeling agitated, scared, or sad, I practice generosity. There is magic and power in truly giving, especially when I don’t really “feel like it.” Give right now.

This "gratitude thing" is not seasonal. This is the time of year for appeals, pledges, food bank and clothing drives. But of course this isn’t the only time people around me are in need. I can practice today. Tomorrow. This whole next week. Next spring and summer. Commit today to a specific act of giving six months from now.

Too, keeping a secret of my giving—not telling another soul—feels even better than bragging kudos.

Gratitude transforms. It heals. Being thankful is merrymaking. Blessings increase when I count them. Living in gratitude requires great courage, heart, compassion; it also feeds me as well as those around me. “Living appreciation” (acknowledgement of blessings via behavior) through loving, happy generosity causes all beings to rejoice. 

I am truly grateful!

(modified version of post from 16 Nov 2012)



 All blog images created & photographed by Jennifer J. Wilhoit unless otherwise noted. Please circulate images with photo credit: "©2016 JenniferJWilhoit/TEALarbor stories. AllRightsReserved."
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