Gratitiude

Dear Ones,

Last Sunday, our Centre initiated a Gratitude Campaign. For 30 days, we are choosing to be grateful instead of complaining!! Using Blesslets acquired from www.gratitudeinaction.com that read “Thank You God,” we are ready to experience more good, more joy and more Life!!

Here’s how it works: Remember the “Complaint-Free World” campaign we participated in a couple of years ago, in which Unity minister and author, Rev. Will Bowman, designed a purple bracelet to break ourselves of the habit of complaining? He suggested that every time we caught ourselves complaining, we change the bracelet to the other wrist.

This is the first part of our Gratitude Campaign. We’re taking it a step further. When we change the Blesslet to our other wrist, we change the complaint to an expression of gratitude. Here’s an example: I needed to buy gasoline. I came to my favourite gas station and noticed the price - $1.05 a litre!! I started to complain, realized what I was doing, changed my bracelet, and declared “Thank God I have a car to drive!” I immediately noticed the physiological changes in my body – from a clenching of my muscles at the beginning of irritation, to the releasing of my muscles and a much, more peaceful feeling.

Metaphysically we know that ‘where the attention goes, the energy flows.’ I would much rather be focusing my energy on what I’m grateful for, wouldn’t you?

Sai Baba of Shirdi said:

Before you speak, ask yourself:

Is it kind, is it necessary, is it true,
does it improve on the silence?

WOW – My Mother was always telling me as a child to think before I spoke. Now I can ask myself: “Does what I am about to say improve on the silence?” Certainly complaints wouldn’t. Gratitude would.

SPIRITUAL MIND TREATMENT

I am one with the Great Silence, the Divine Creative Power that is the Cause to all. It is within me and all things. It is an Energy that is acted upon my thoughts and feelings.

Knowing this, I now declare I live a life of gratefulness. I celebrate everything I have attracted into my experience and everything I have not. I am grateful for my body, this wonderous earthsuit that allows me to experience all there is to experience in this place in time. I am grateful for my emotions, that give richness and meaning to my experiences. I am grateful for my mind, that is working for me all the time. I give thanks for that One behind my body, mind and emotions, that is my Life and my Guiding Light.

I declare that Life is good, very good. Joyously I release this word to Law and see that it is my Truth. I am so grateful. And so it is.

How are you doing with our Complaint-Free World Campaign? I’ve gotta tell you I’ve thought about quitting – this is harder than I thought it would be! I’ve even forgotten to wear the bracelet a couple of days. However, when we started and I realized how much complaining was part of my experience, I made a commitment. I had no idea it was going to take so long. I have been able to make it two days without changing my bracelet to the other wrist. Yea! Yet no sooner was I patting myself on the back about it, I found myself complaining again! For instance, I was walking through an organic vegetable farm market today, and heard myself thinking “They want me to pay that for those!?!” Complaining is so subtle … and the bracelet is doing its job by making me conscious of what’s going through my mind.

Someone told me they had made it through a week without letting the complaints come out their mouth. Which told me they were thinking them, just not speaking them aloud. I wanted to say “Hey, complaints are complaints” but it wasn’t my business to tell them how they should participate in the Campaign. Truth is, I’m doing this for myself, and I’m glad people are willing to play with me!

However, I want to remind all of us that our theme for this year is Experiencing Heaven in 2007. The only thing that keeps us from that experience is our consciousness. The point of our Campaign is to become aware of our thought processes. As we do, we will begin to see when and why we’re not living in heaven. And what is heaven? To me it is an embodiment of the consciousness of Oneness, of liberty, and joy.

This is what I really want. So I recommit myself daily. If you’ve been going through the same things I have - keep breathing - I KNOW we can do it!

SPIRITUAL MIND TREATMENT

Living in this glorious world of infinite possibilities, I celebrate Its Divine Nature. I celebrate knowing all there is is God. There can be nothing else. God is all powerful, all knowing and everywhere present – including right where I am. My life is Divine Life, and I am honoured to be an expression of It.

Today I recommit to living a complaint-free life. My intention is to live in heaven. I now declare my consciousness is clear that It is Divine. Everything in my life reflects this choice and it is good, very good.

As I make my intentions clear to myself, Divine Mind, through Law, assists me in attaining and maintaining them. I am so grateful for this wonderful process. I love Life and all that is in it! This Life is a good life – It is God’s Life!

And so It is!