Video of the Week: I Give Thanks
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Archive for November, 2011
A 14-yr-old’s Clothing Closet for All
Give what you have. To someone, it may be better than you dare to think. — Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
~~~~ Good News of the Day: Like many 14-year-olds, Katelyn Eystad has a lot of clothes in her closet — but hers are to give away. In 2009, Katelyn founded a Clothing Closet to provide clothing, diapers, deodorant and more to people in need in her community. With the help of her sisters and mother, she has already served 1,500 families. “What a blessing this child has been to many. Katelyn is always volunteering and giving back to others,” says her proud mom, Elissa. Three days a week, clients can come for shopping sprees by appointment. They shop as usual, they just don’t have to pay anything. Some of them leave grinning, and some of them leave crying in gratitude. “Me and my family have been in need before ourselves,” says Katelyn. “The people who are coming in, I know how they feel and I can relate to them.” http://premiere.whatcounts.com/t?ctl=169D91D:C3009629A010612CE7991B2F20A2931EB4B847859706E37D&
~~~~ Be The Change: Support a child this week in expressing his or her own generosity.
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Attitude of Gratitude
We have stopped for a moment to encounter each other, to meet, to love, to share. This is a precious moment but it is transient. It is a little parenthesis in eternity. If we share caring, lightheartedness, and love, we will create abundance and joy for each other. And then this moment will be worthwhile. — Deepak Chopra
~~~~ Good News of the Day: Cultivating an “attitude of gratitude” has been linked to better health, sounder sleep, less anxiety and depression, higher long-term satisfaction with life and kinder behavior toward others, including romantic partners. A new study shows that feeling grateful makes people less likely to turn aggressive when provoked. How to practice gratitude? Research shows that those who keep a simple gratitude journal felt happier, more optimistic, and even slept better at night. Renowned psychologist Dr. Martin Seligman guarantees that if you (a) write a 300-word letter to someone who changed your life for the better, (b) hand-deliver it to the recipient, (c) read it out loud to them, then “You will be happier and less depressed one month from now.” http://premiere.whatcounts.com/t?ctl=169D872:C3009629A010612CA7283EEB2FED78C4B4B847859706E37D&
~~~~ Be The Change: Write a gratitude letter to someone you appreciate.
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Dalai Lama Quote from Snow Lion Publications
Dalai Lama Quote of the WeekIf you cannot stop worrying over something in the past or what might happen in the future, shift your focus to the inhalation and exhalation of your breath. Or recite this mantra: om mani padme hum (pronounced “om mani padmay hum”). Since the mind cannot concentrate on two things simultaneously, either of these meditations causes the former worry to fade.(p.133) –from How to Practice: The Way to a Meaningful Life by His Holiness the Dalai Lama, translated and edited by Jeffrey Hopkins How to Practice • Now at 2O% off |
Dharma Quote from Snow Lion Publications
Dharma Quote of the WeekRecalling our interconnectedness, we begin to recognize our total interdependence and that whatever we enjoy in our life comes through others–through their efforts, their work, their hardships. It does not necessarily require that others had a specific intention to enable us to enjoy the things of our life. If we think of this in terms of the obvious examples like food and clothing, we can immediately see the global meaning of this contemplation. Our food comes from all over the world and if we consider the people and other creatures involved in its production, picking, packaging, transportation, and selling so that we can enjoy it, the numbers are vast. It is through their labor, their efforts, their struggles that we enjoy what we eat. Often their lives are terribly hard, and to feed a family they must work for very little–yet we enjoy the fruits of their labor. This is something to feel a huge gratitude for. If we begin to look more closely at our Western life, we can see how much we are dependent upon people in considerably poorer circumstances all over the world for what we consume. What we often don’t consider is the impact of this consumption on those who produce it. In this meditation, it can be very useful to spend some time dwelling upon this so that we really feel the profound depth of appreciation for our interdependence upon others for our lives. This can counter the tendency to take our good fortune for granted and can open up a sense of gratitude for the kindness of those around. If guilt arises, it can be used to increase our awareness of the responsibility we have globally. Gradually, we may begin to see the complete interdependent nature of our relationship with the countless other beings around us. We cannot overlook this connectedness to others and the kindness and benefit we have gained through them. When we come to feel this deeply, we will be able to hold others dear and automatically respond to others with a greater sense of care and concern.(p.80) –from The Courage to Feel: Buddhist Practices for Opening to Others by Rob Preece, published by Snow Lion Publications The Courage to Feel • Now at 5O% off! |
Kindness Remembered 41 Years Later
As the rain falls on the just and unjust alike, let your heart be untroubled by judgements and let your kindness rain down on all. — Buddha
~~~~ Good News of the Day: Sometimes acts of kindness seem to conspire at times when they are most needed. Here’s one such story of a kindness received 41 years ago, when … “I was twenty-four years old and three months pregnant when my husband died. I was a widow and an expectant mother in the same day. We had bought a new home and I had filled our two bedroom apartment with nursery items in anticipation of moving in. Now the house would be taken away. I knew I would have to go back to my parents’ home and so I moved back into my old bedroom. I was able to pay for three months worth of storage and then I would have to sell all the new furniture we had bought for our new home because I wouldn’t be able to pay any more storage fees.” http://premiere.whatcounts.com/t?ctl=169D6E1:C3009629A010612CDF79B7B063BE0ED3B4B847859706E37D&
~~~~ Be The Change: Be an anonymous angel of kindness for someone today. Let the kindness rain!
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Quote of the Week | Cultivating the Ground for Joy
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| Teachings by Pema Chödrön, taken from works published by Shambhala Publications. Photo by ©Andrea Roth. Forwarded from a friend? You can subscribe to this e-mail emailList, and be sure to include both your old and new addresses. If you no longer wish to receive the Heart Advice e-mails, click here. If you can’t see the images, click here. | 
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Smile Newsletter: Saying Grace, Giving Thanks.
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Four years ago I decided to make it my gift to those around me that I express to them how much they mean to me….. not JUST my friends and family, but all the people I encounter in my day. That included the baggers at the grocery store, the cashiers at the pharmacy, the bus driver, the garbage pickup man, the mailman, and many others. The more invisible the person (like the garbage pick up man), the more I focused on them. I complimented them on their work, how grateful I was for their contributions to my life, and how appreciative I was for their kindnesses to me.
5 Reasons Why Meditation Beats an iPhone
One machine can do the work of fifty ordinary men. No machine can do the work of one extraordinary man. — Elbert Hubbard
~~~~ Tip of the Day: “People buy iPhones to be universally connected and have a ton of cool functions and features at their fingertips. But as the wise monk Rev. Heng Sure once said, everything we create in silicon already exists in carbon. I’d add that the silicon technology is a poor facsimile at best. So how exactly do you tap into the wonderful carbon technology you carry around with you all the time? Meditation is a phenomenal tool to do just that.” This post offers a witty comparison — in terms of connectivity, social networking, features & functionality, environment, and cost — humorously reasoning why meditation beats an iPhone. http://premiere.whatcounts.com/t?ctl=169D53C:C3009629A010612C48026D1CB2C3B337B4B847859706E37D&
~~~~ Be The Change: Is meditation the push-up for the brain? A new study at UCLA suggests that meditators have stronger connections between brain regions and lesser age-related brain atrophy. http://premiere.whatcounts.com/t?ctl=169D53D:C3009629A010612C48026D1CB2C3B337B4B847859706E37D&
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Year of Dancing with Life – Week 7
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Sangha of Auspicious Companions 