Dear Reader:
I have been using these cold, wet, windy days inside… to begin looking through old books …deciding which to keep and which to give away. Suddenly I came across The Book of Awakening by Mark Nepo. As I flipped through the pages … I landed immediately on a writing … that started out… ” There is a Buddhist precept that asks us to be mindful of how rare it is to find ourselves in human form on Earth. It is really a beautiful view of life that offers us a chance to feel enormous appreciation for the fact that we are here as individual spirits filled with consciousness….and that the Divine Revelation that no other life form has the consciousness of BEING that we are privilege to…. not in the form of water, minerals, animals or plants … humans make up a very small portion of life that has the wakefulness of spirit that we call ” being human.”
… That is because we human beings are directly connected to and made in the image of God. This direct connection can never be broken.
Every morning when we wake up… we should start with a prayer of gratitude for being human.
Daily activities we can do to become more aware of our place in the sun…
1. Sit outside or near a window and observe other life forms around you( squirrels in my planters looking for nuts)
2 Think of the pebble, bark, or the stone benches or sculptures in the courtyard … and center your breathing on the interior things that you can do that they can’t… understanding life is sacred.
3. Do one thing that only humans can do… like pray!
4. And finally … when the time arises… pray with reverence and GRATITUDE!
ichaseferalcats
John Turner
Legally Ohm
Becky Dingle
So so true….be thankful with a grateful heart…love you…
Very early here in British Columbia but I’m excited to look out and see snow! It’s like being a child again when I’d become so delighted and excited to see those first flakes fall. It meant hours and maybe days ahead with something new to play in—maybe even no school for a day or two if the roads got too slippery and dangerous for the school bus. And snow meant beautiful landscapes everywhere!
I’m now past playing in the snow but I love to watch the younger ones do this. Driving can still be treacherous but we stay in and only venture out if necessary. And, lucky me, I’m blessed with a Minnesota-born husband who loves to shovel snow! Landscapes here take on a magical winter wonderland look and I feel totally blessed…to have snow and to be human so I can fully enjoy its amazing beauty.
So this morning I will read again Becky’s devotional thoughts and pause to give thanks for all the wonder around me with a human heart overflowing with gratitude. Praise God from Whom all blessings flow!
This Lowcountry girl would love to see and be in some snow… like I mentioned before … the last snow ( very icy) was when Eloise was born six years ago New Year’s Eve. I will just visually emulate and speculate how beautiful it is… being near the coast we get the downside of storms, crazy wind, threat of tornadoes and flooding… so I will dream of snow through your eyes! 👍💗
Sent from my iPhone