Gratitude in Detroit

Hello from Detroit, where I have just spent the week in the presence of my guru Amma. What grace!
It is Thanksgiving weekend here in the United States and gratitude is very much on the minds of many here (myself included!). In that spirit, I would like to re-share my series of postings on Thanksgiving and the grace of gratitude. If you have not already done so, please read and enjoy, beginning with Part 1:

Thanks to http://www.flickr.com/photos/mtsofan/ for the Creative Commons image
Thanks to http://www.flickr.com/photos/mtsofan/ for the Creative Commons image

Complaining is easy. Perhaps that is why so many do it. It has an entropic force that seems to pull us along. It can even be addictive, our ego getting high on our sorry stories, feeling we deserve more, leaving us endlessly wanting.

Thanksgiving gives us a gentle reminder to practice gratitude. Yet, many can feel there is little to be grateful for. But when we look at the immensity of the world and all the people on it, we can quickly reconsider any feelings of being hard done by.
 
If you live in North America, or Europe, you are blessed with a cornucopia of opportunities. We are not in war-torn countries struggling with famine, drought, brutal dictatorships or tyrannical political regimes. We have free will. We have free mobility. We have freedom of speech. We have supportive health care. We have the means to make the life we choose to have. We are immensely blessed! So if you have a hard time finding gratitude in your life, then perhaps put yourself in someone else’s shoes for a moment, such as someone living in Somalia, and consider what your life would be like.

 
You may also enjoy this inspiring TED talk by Brother David Steindl-Rast, a monk and interfaith scholar, on gratitude:

I am grateful to all of you for joining me on my blog. I look forward to sharing more with you next week as we move into the busy holiday season. Whatever your situation, may you find joy in this moment and throughout the year.
Parvati