Sangha of Auspicious Companions

Gratitude in Daily Life

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Two Ducks & Their 7-Year-Old Hero

Whoever you are, no matter how lonely, the world offers itself to your imagination, calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting — over and over announcing your place in the family of things. — Mary Oliver

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Good News of the Day:
“When I was around 7 years old, I saw a pair of ducks in my front yard. I knew ducks liked bread, so I decided to feed them before they had a chance to fly away. I didn’t know it then, but these two ducks ended up being one of the most influential factors in who I’ve become today.” Over the following months the ducks showed up regularly at the little girl’s home — quacking at her door for bread crumbs. But one morning, after a big storm, they appeared with a far more urgent request …
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Be The Change:
Look out for cues today that announce your place in the family of things — and take the cues.

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Kindness Daily: Hope And Joy In A Wal-Mart Car Park

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Hope And Joy In A Wal-Mart Car Park January 10, 2012 – Posted by widow55 Wal-Mart parking lots can be a very busy place with cars and vans backing out while other vehicles wait impatiently to get the next spot. It can get a little congested at times and I have certainly seen many hurried people lacking in patience. I have ocassionaly been that hurried person. The other night when I left Wal-Mart I was in a lot of pain from some chronic health issues and I just wanted to wave a magic wand on be sitting on my couch with the groceries all put away. I would love to have a magic wand like that! I started to get irritated when a woman and her child stopped dead in the middle of the parking lot to chat and hug with a friend while I was trying to back out! They seemed oblivious to my need to get moving. Then I had one of those "light bulb" moments. When our eyes finally met, instead of giving them the why don’t you move look, I gave them a huge smile. It was then that they realized they could move to the side and chat (they appeared to have been truly lost in the moment up to that point). I was able to back out but still could not move forward because of other vehicles. I took the opportunity to enjoy their interactions until I could move. There were more hugs and then a goodbye. As I drove away, tears fell softly on my cheeks. I never got to hug my husband before he died. But, this was not a "pity me" cry. It was an awakening of my spirit to the joy and hope that still exists. It is always there. We just have to be intentional in creating it or looking for it. Add/View Comment >> About Newsletter Kindness Daily is an email that delivers today’s featured story from HelpOthers.org. If you’d rather not receive this email, you can also unsubscribe. Similar Stories A Firefighter’s Point of View, by Moran Kindness In Grief, by monabr Snow Angel, by Anonymous A Day At Bell Mobility, by Christina My Nurse’s Special Birthday Gift, by kylierose16 Helpful Links Smile Cards: do an act of kindness and leave a card behind to keep the chain going. Smile Decks: 52 cards with a kindness idea on each! Smile Groups: share your own stories, make friends, spread the good. Smile Ideas: loads of ideas that can support your drive of kindness. Unsubscribe If you’d rather not receive these stories by email, you can remove yourself with two easy clicks. Community

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Language Is More Than Just Words

A language is not just words. It’s a culture, a tradition, a unification of a community, a whole history that creates what a community is. It’s all embodied in a language. — Noam Chomsky

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Good News of the Day:
“We Still Live Here” is a fascinating documentary that tells a life affirming story of cultural revival. It follows the journey of social worker Jessie Little Doe Baird, a member of the Wampanoag tribe of Native Americans, who undertook an incredible quest to reclaim the language of her people. In 1993 Jessie began to hear the voices of her ancestors speaking in a language she didn’t understand. At the time, the Wampanoag tongue hadn’t been spoken for more than a 100 years. Jessie had never been to college, but she was determined to bring this language back to life. In a remarkable sequence of events, the mother of four would be invited (by Noam Chomsky no less!) to join a graduate program at MIT and receive the formal training needed to bring back a vanished language. Her young daughter would become the first native speaker in more than a century.
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Be The Change:
Learn more about the work being done around the world to reclaim languages, and preserve and protect the heritage of indigenous people through an organization called Cultural Survival.
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Year of Dancing with Life – Week 14

Email not displaying correctly? View it in your browser. Week 14 : The Ego’s Fear of Humiliation To receive Phillip’s weekly teaching, click here: http://www.lifebalanceinstitute.com/ dharmawisdom/dancing-with-life/ teaching/ego%E2%80%99s-fear-humiliation May your study of this material deepen your meditation practice and inspire your dance with life. If you are interested in studying Dancing with Life in more depth, sign up to receive your on-line study guide and other supplemental materials.

InnerNet Weekly: Seekers of Ultimate Mystery

Email not displaying correctly? View it in your browser. Seekers of Ultimate Mystery by Fr. Thomas Keating [Listen to Audio!]

Gandhi on the Power of One

As human beings, our greatness lies not so much in being able to remake the world as in being able to remake ourselves. — Mahatma Gandhi

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Inspiration of the Day:
“There were many observers who said Gandhi was extraordinary, an exception to the limitations that hold back the rest of the human race. Others dismissed him — some with great respect, others with less — as just another great man who was leaving his mark on history. Yet, according to him, there was no one more ordinary. ‘I claim to be an average man of less than average ability,’ he often repeated. ‘I have not the shadow of a doubt that any man or woman can achieve what I have, if he or she would make the same effort and cultivate the same hope and faith.’ The fact is, while most people think of ordinariness as a fault or limitation, Gandhi had discovered in it the very meaning of life — and of history.” The late Gandhian scholar Eknath Easwaran shares further on Gandhi’s faith in the power of the individual.
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Be The Change:
This classic 2-minute video inspires further conviction in the power of one.
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Smile Newsletter: In The Middle of Nowhere

Jan 8, 2012 “We don’t see things as they are; we see them as we are.” — Anais Nin “While walking back from a wonderful day’s outing to our local park and library, my two grandgirls and I found a wallet laying on the ground beside the trunk of a tree on a residential street. At first I just thought it must belong to a child in the neighborhood, but once I opened it up I realized that someone was missing their driver’s license and other important items. At first I was not quite sure what to do, but then decided to open the wallet and look for a way of getting ahold of the owner of the wallet. Luckily for her she carried business cards with the phone number. I called her, she called me back and we were able to return her wallet to her within 5 minutes of finding it. This certainly is not a ‘new’ story but became a very special time spent with my grandchildren – 7 1/2 and 4 1/2 years old. Their faces just beamed when they were able to return the wallet and see how grateful the person was. This act of kindness will stay with them for a lifetime.” — yogagini [ share your story >> ] You can also contribute comments on each story! Love and Inspiration from Japan >> An Opportunity to Give >> In The Middle of Nowhere >> More Stories >> “What motivates me to be kind is remembering we are all connected. A smile I give to someone on the street might be the only one that person gets today. I can’t do much, but I can at least do that…” — joanned23 What is a “smile card”? It’s a game of kindness — do something nice for someone and leave a card behind asking them to pay it forward. To date, 995,456 cards have been shipped without any charge. The ‘Smiles’ newsletter is emailed to 86,759 subscribers with the intent of spreading more smiles in the world. You can unsubscribe anytime. get smile cards | donate | write to us

Benefits of Rising Early — and How to Do It

The best way to make your dreams come true is to wake up. — Paul Valery

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Tip of the Day:
“Recently, reader Rob asked me about my habit of waking at 4:30 a.m. each day, and asked me to write about the health benefits of rising early, which I thought was an excellent question. Unfortunately, there are none, that I know of. However, there are a ton of other great benefits. Now, let me first say that if you are a night owl, and that works for you, I think that’s great. There’s no reason to change, especially if you’re happy with it. But for me, switching from being a night owl to an early riser (and yes, it is possible) has been a godsend. It has helped me in so many ways that I’d never go back.” Leo Babauta of Zen Habits shares just a few reasons for becoming an early riser, as well as tips on making the shift.
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Be The Change:
If you aren’t an early riser already, try experimenting with some of Babauta’s suggestions.

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Dalai Lama Quote from Snow Lion Publications