Thankful Thoughts

Hello/ Namaste All,

I had just been gathering some thoughts for a Thanksgiving newsletter when a dear friend shared the following beautiful excerpt from a book she was reading. As I read it, I knew why it had been brought to me at that time - to be brought to YOU! So, without further ado, let me simply share the piece with you:

Speaking about a certain type of Japanese psychotherapy, the author Will Schwalbe in his "The End of Your Life Book Club" writes:

"The therapy has its roots in a philosophy called Naikan, developed by Ishin Yoshimoto. Naikin reminds people to be grateful for everything. If you are sitting in a chair, you need to realize that someone made that chair, and someone sold it and someone delivered it - and you are the beneficiary of all that. Just because they didn't do it especially for you doesn't mean that you aren't blessed to be using it and enjoying it. The idea is that if you practice the Naikan,..... life becomes a series of small miracles, and you may start to notice everything that goes right in a typical life and not the few things that go wrong."

And further......

"We all owe everyone for everything that happens in our lives. But it's not like owing a debt to one person- it's really that we owe everyone for everything. Our whole lives can change in an instant- so each person who keeps that from happening, no matter how small a role they play, is also responsible for all of it. Just by giving friendship and love, you keep the people around you from giving up- and each expression of friendship or love may be the one that makes all the difference...."

Indeed! Every expression of both giving and receiving could make a BIG difference and I love the beautiful way this piece reminds us of the deep connectedness that we live in, yet are often unaware of. Thanksgiving is a time to acknowledge, strengthen and celebrate that connectedness through the ritual of Gratitude.

And while we ponder all that, I shall also enjoy feeling gratitude for the person who shared that with me and for a community that I can have the joy of sharing this with; this and so many of my other experiences!

Thank you all for your love and support.

With best wishes for a Happy Thanksgiving holiday from the Full Bloomed Lotus team,

Ramaa