A Prayer of Gratitude At Thanksgiving
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It’s been said that better questions lead us naturally to better answers, and that it’s in not knowing that we open the doorway to knowing. I’m Scott Lennox and you’re listening to The Beautiful Question, a consideration of things that truly matter in a complex world.
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Isn’t it fascinating that the more we open our hearts and minds to gratitude, the more we find to be grateful about.
Join me this week, as I offer my heartfelt prayer of gratitude as we step into the holiday season. Stay with me.
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Inspired by the traditions of my Celtic ancestors and deeply moved by all that’s happening in the world, I am stirred to offer prayers from my heart to yours. This week, they are prayers of gratitude.
I can think of no better time for that than right now, as we prepare to celebrate the Thanksgiving Holiday.
A former colleague used to say that gratitude and depression cannot live in the same mind at the same moment. I’ve learned that neither can fear or anxiety or dread any of the other emotions that erode the quality of our daily experience. That being the case, allow me to speak heartful words of gratitude into this moment for each of us, beginning with my gratitude for you.
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[Music: September Skies by Silver Maple, courtesy of Epidemic Music ]
Photo by TeamOne
I’m grateful that you—You—are in the world right now—grateful that you are adding your Light to the sum of Light, grateful that you living as gently and as fiercely as you know how, and grateful that you are exactly who and what you are.
I’m grateful that you’re taking time for yourself and that you are taking these words into your heart and mind. Attending to what we need is a gift no one can give us but ourselves. I’m grateful you are doing that.
I’m grateful for the freedom and the ability to express myself in this way, especially at a time when there is so much turmoil and unrest in the world.
I’m grateful that each of us is capable of seeing and experiencing and expressing what is still beautiful and strong and mysterious and inspiring, even in the midst of chaos.
I’m grateful that just as Light is more powerful than darkness, love and acceptance and compassion are always stronger than judgment and hatred and conflict.
I’m grateful that right this moment, all over the world, there are people who are doing the best they can to be authentic and to stand strong, living their truth in ways that do the least possible harm.
I’m grateful for simple acts of kindness, no matter how seemingly small they may be. It’s been said that no act of kindness is ever wasted and that Love is never the wrong response. Innately, we know that to be true.
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I’m grateful for the poets and painters and musicians and artists of every kind in the world and for all those who sing and dance and make the magic of living a joy and a wonder to behold.
I’m grateful for healers and midwives and intuitives all over the globe, and for everyone whose touch and whose words are gentle and reassuring and nourishing in this time when we have become more separated than ever. May we connect with one another in ways that are healthy and generative and sustaining.
I’m grateful for those who have finally released themselves from the constraints that held them back from being fully alive. I’m grateful that we were born to be unfettered and unbound.
I’m grateful for each act of courage—for each step that leads to self-liberation and then, quite naturally, to the greater healing of the planet.
I’m grateful for everyone who is discovering the music and the strength of their own voice. May your voice grow even stronger and more vibrant and resonant day by day.
I’m grateful for the compassionate souls who are building bridges and reaching out to heal old wounds. May the seeds you sew send waves of peace out into the world.
I’m grateful for those with vision enough to see a bright and cooperative future—a future that is enlivening and enriching for all of us.
I’m grateful for sanctuaries of every kind—large ones and small ones, public ones and private ones—especially the sanctuaries we carry with us in our hearts and minds everywhere we go. It is in sanctuary that we find the stillness and the peace we need to be clear and present with our lives and with those around us.
Last of all, I’m grateful, not just that I survived the things I’ve endured, but that I am thriving and living well, that I am finding meaning and joy and purpose and love and beauty, one day, one moment at a time.
May you find much to celebrate this holiday season, may you be content with your life, and may your heart and mind be filled with peace and joy.
Amen
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As I close this week, instead of offering Beautiful Questions for you to ponder, I’m wondering what statements of gratitude naturally arose in you and continue to arise as you listen to what I’ve shared with you today.
Write and tell me about it. I’d love to hear from you.
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As I say each week,
My Light with Your Light!
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Thank you for joining me in these podcasts as we keep doing the things we can to respond to life in increasingly effective ways. As always, I’m open to your comments and feedback.
You can be further inspired by visiting my friends at Kosmos Journal. That’s K O S M O S Journal. Their mission is to inform, inspire, and engage global transformation in harmony with all life. You can easily find them online at Kosmos Journal dot O R G.
And at thebeautifulquestion.com, you can read the illustrated transcript of each podcast as you listen. You’ll also find an archive of all previous podcasts, including episodes three and four, guided relaxation audios that can help you practice letting go on a daily basis.
If you find these podcasts useful, don’t hesitate to share them or tell others about them. That’s a great way of helping me get a voice of calm and collaboration and balance and encouragement out into the world.
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I’m Scott Lennox, and this has been The Beautiful Question.
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The Beautiful Question is a One Light production, written, produced, and engineered by Scott Lennox at HeartRock Studios in Fort Worth, Texas, as a way of paying forward to life, being fully present, becoming better engaged with things that truly matter in a complex world, and committing to a healthier future for all of us.