“Cultivate the habit of being grateful for every good thing that comes to you, and to give thanks continuously. And because all things have contributed to your advancement, you should include all things in your gratitude.” ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Happy Sunday!

I have been on vacation this week and I am just full of joy with gratitude overflowing from my spirit!
Well who isn’t grateful when they are on vacation?
Two whole weeks of being away from the office is certainly a great foundation stone to support a mountain of gratitude.  But it’s not just that – it is pushing worries aside and watching blessings fill in the space.
Peter and I travelled down to Charlottesville for five nights.  Before leaving I had my worries, I really prefer being home over going away.  I had concerns for leaving my sons, the cats, and the house.  Instead of getting too focused on the worries I recalled hearing that travel was good for the brain, new places get your gray cels to make new connections, so I put a positive attitude on my going away.
I also had concerns about how Peter and I would get along on our own.  Traveling can be frustrating as we both can be indecisive.  Our typical interaction being a lot of “what do you want to do? I don’t know, what do you want to do?”  We have had times that we haven’t eaten dinner until very late, spending most of the evening trying to decide where to go to eat.  I think that comes from us both being passive and also showing we are happy to do what the other person wants.  I do recall in the past thinking that I would like to not have to make a decision, that it would be nice if he had it all planned out for us.  I think this was when I had little kids, Peter was taking me out for a break which I needed so I just wanted everything taken care of for me.
Before we left for our trip, my prayers were for our relationship –that we could understand each other and be peaceful.  I had these thoughts that during our drive I would express all of the things that disturbed me.  Instead, Peter made an apology and I, recognizing it as a gift, knew I needed to shut my mouth and accept.  Throughout the week I followed my intuition about when to speak and when to be quiet. Things went much smoother this trip as I spoke with integrity about my thoughts – I may not have always known what I wanted to do but I tried to say what I was thinking to provide some input and it seemed we then were able to make decisions together.  This was so much nicer then treating the decision like a ‘hot potato’ and just pushing it back and forth between us.
I am grateful for valuing my own opinion and allowing my self to say what I want.
We went to Charlottesville, Virginia so that I could visit Montecello, a place I wanted to visit since I was about 10 years old.  I read a lot of biographies in 5th and 6th grade and Thomas Jefferson was my favorite.  It is funny how those wants from our childhood stay with us throughout our life – these days they get called the “bucket list” so that is what I told people, “I am here to see Montecello as it is on my bucket list.”  We picked the day the heat of summer broke and it was sunny and cool.  It was a beautiful day and I was full of joy and gratitude, just so happy to be doing what I had always wanted to do.
(Last summer I had an even more profound reaction when in England, we went to the BritishMuseum so I could see the Elgin Marbles from the Parthenon in Greece.  I had wanted to see them since studying Art History in High School.  I was crying as I walked about viewing the statues, my mind trying so hard to recall the lessons of years ago.)
I am grateful for treating myself as worthy of receiving the things I want.
Our last night in Charlottesville Peter and I ate outside at one of the many cafe’s setup in the pedestrian mall area, this one served Indian food, our favorite.  I ordered Tandoori but was only able to finish about half of the chicken and lamb.  I had the left-overs boxed up so they wouldn’t be thrown away, telling the waitress that I might give them to a dog.  We had passed several homeless people in the mall as well as some travelers and most had dogs.  As we walked with our leftovers, Peter and I passed a rough looking man with a sleeping dog.  I paused to ask Peter if we should give the box to them when a young man walked up to Peter and asked if the box had leftovers in it and if he could have them.  I felt both Peter’s and my energy giving the box to the boy before he finished his request.  He told us he had a job interview the next day and had gotten cleaned up (I think he was implying that getting something to eat was also part of his preparations).  I was so happy and grateful to be able to give something back to this young man and to also know that my husband and I stood together in a field of Grace to be of service to another, doing Gods work.
I am grateful for sharing my joy with others.
Amen
“I nurture my relationships with attention and appreciation.” ~  Deepak Chopra’s 21 Day Meditation Challenge, Miraculous Relationships.