Everything is a gift. The degree to which we are awake to this truth is a measure of our gratefulness.

Day and night, gifts keep pelting down on us. If we were aware of this,

gratefulness would overwhelm us. But we go through life in a daze.

A power failure makes us aware of what a gift electricity is;

a sprained ankle lets us appreciate walking as a gift, a sleepless night, sleep.

How much we are missing in life by noticing gifts only when we are suddenly deprived of them.

Eyes see only light, ears hear only sound, but a listening heart perceives meaning.

Everything is a gift. Grateful living is a celebration of the universal give-and-take of life,

a limitless yes to belonging. A lifetime may not be long enough to attune ourselves fully

to the harmony of the universe. But just to become aware that we can resonate with it-

that alone can be like waking up from a dream. Gratefulness is the key to a happy life,

because if we are not grateful, then no matter how much we have we will not be happy-

because we will always want to have something else or something more.

~Brother David Steindl-Rast

when we lose the thread….

inquiry for today~ how about a change?

the felt sense

I have just three things to teach:

simplicity, patience, compassion.

These three are your greatest treasures.

~Lao Tzu