“Gratitude… goes beyond the “mine” and “thine” and claims the truth that all of life is a pure gift. In the past I always thought of gratitude as a spontaneous response to the awareness of gifts received, but now I realize that gratitude can also be lived as a discipline. The discipline of gratitude is the explicit effort to acknowledge that all I am and have is given to me as a gift of love, a gift to be celebrated with joy.”

May this quote from Henri Nouwen rest deep within our souls today, and throughout this season.

All that I am and have is a gift of love
A gift to be celebrated with joy…

Believe it, live it, breathe it in.

Thanksgiving blessings.

One year ago, Aunt Lois came to visit on her way back from her annual harvesting party. When she came, she filled up my kitchen with bundles of fry pies, vegetables, and frozen creamed corn.

During that weekend visit, we ate the fry pies. She took most of the vegetables home with her to Florida. But the frozen creamed corn stayed in the freezer. Throughout the year I would pull out a packet of the cream corn from the freezer from time to time. I would add it to soup. Corn bread. Creamed Corn at Thanksgiving.

I didn’t think much of the creamed corn.
Until yesterday.
Yesterday, I sauteed onions and garlic in a pan. I poured in the chicken stock, cumin and chiles. I paused when I reached in my freezer for a packet of the frozen creamed corn, because I knew it was the last.

I opened that packet, and squeezed in the mashed corn and all of its juices into the simmering pot, and stirred.

And the corn became a part my dinner, for the last time.

And for Lois, and her bundles of produce, and the creamed corn that I would not see in this lifetime…and for all of the bundles of gifts that she bestowed on her loved ones–past and present; I cried.

Because I knew this would be the best creamed corn chowder I would ever make.

Morning mist, arise
Bless this beloved life
Still warm
Passing, a vapor
through eternity
Joining
With a new voice
that never ending song

A Sacred Living Meditation

Lord, Have mercy

Christ, Have mercy

(stillness)

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God,

Have mercy on me

(stillness)

Your love for me is unfailing

You are love

(stillness)

Your compassion is great
Your care, your tender thoughts toward me
are endless.

You are compassion.

(stillness)

Lord, Jesus Christ, I welcome you.

I welcome your love that comes to light my darkness.

I welcome your mercy that transforms my heart and mind

I welcome your compassion that draws me in
Toward your Holiness.

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me.

Breath Prayer

In breath:

Lord Jesus Christ

Out breath:

Have mercy

How to Pray Through Sacred Living Meditations:

1) Sit comfortably. Allow your attention to focus on the presence of the Living God. 2) You may wish to start each prayer by simply paying attention to your breath, becoming aware of the Holy Spirit’s presence within you. Alternatively, you may, at the beginning of each prayer, choose an anchoring word to allow focus and prevent distraction. 3) Read the first portion line by line–slowly, with mind and heart. When the word (stillness) appears, pause to develop conscious intent from the heart. 4) At the end of each prayer, pray the breath prayer. A breath prayer is to be prayed anywhere from ten to one hundred times. The breath prayer may be repeated throughout the day, or any given moment in the future.

In order to pray the breath prayer, one must first become aware of his or her breathing. When ready, with your body, inhale with a deep breath while praying the phrase prompted with the “in breath”. On the exhale, breathe out and pray the phrase prompted with the “out breath”.

I want you think for a moment about your greatest disappointment this year.

Ask yourself if you would like to move forward. To heal, and to be free from pain.

To become free from the entrapment of this sadness.

This is momentous, this decision, because it requires movement on your part. It requires your intention. It requires discipline of the mind. Your mind. And it requires an agreement. Your agreement. It requires a pact with a power greater than yourself. It requires your decision to align with the most powerful force in the universe to heal.

Most people, when it comes right down to it, do not want to be reminded of the pain that they have felt in the past. And most people do not feel that it is possible to heal from deep sadness. A loss of a child, a devastating fall. Illness, disease.

But the truth is, this is the year. This is the year of God’s favor on you, of his comfort, and of his healing.
Are you ready?
If you would like to move forward, read on. Decide and desire healing in the area you need. Locate it.

Now…I am going to ask you to feel every sensation of the pain that is associated with that disappointment.
I know I just asked you to ponder the sadness–to remind yourself. But this is exactly what we must do in order to heal, and to experience freedom from our pain. We must move toward it first.

You know it if it’s still there.

Let us take a journey together–in and out of this sadness and on to freedom.

I would like for you only to move forward with this exercise if you are joining your heart, mind and soul with the power of God to heal and to bring freedom to you, right here, right now.

I will ask you again to feel all of the sensations of this sadness. To remind yourself. To not shrink from it, but to move toward it.

Now…Imagine yourself standing in a field that is clear and open. It is warm, the sun is shining, and you can see for miles all around you.

You may want to take a moment to notice your surroundings. Is there anything you can hear? Smell? Feel?

See yourself holding your pain in your hands. Your fists may be tightly clenched around your sadness.

Now see yourself bringing your sadness–your disappointment that you hold in front of you, and….
Open your hands. Notice any sensations you may have as you do this.

Now..In the center of you mind’s eye, bring forth the intention to heal yourself, aligning yourself with the power of your God.

Take a deep breath in and out to anchor yourself in this moment.
Now remember, this is the year. This is your year. Of favor, of blessing, of healing.

Notice now that a light, fresh sweet smell permeates the air around you. Over your shoulders, there is a garland of fresh flowers, bold and bright with deep rich hues of reds and blues and yellows…that feel and look and smell beautiful. Heavenly. Your garland of beauty.
You pause for a moment as you see your sadness in front of you, evaporate into ashes–to dust…and it is blowing off of your opened palms.

This garland of beauty comes as a gfit, encircling you now. It is replacing all of your sadness…all of your pain. Feel, smell and gaze at your garland, and notice every sensation of this softness that surrounds you.

Now with your face turned toward the sun, notice a loving presence that desires healing for you. Wholeness. Enter into this loving presence with your open hands, your face turned upward. Notice the warmth of loving fingers upon your forehead. There is a moist sensation underneath the fingers, and it feels as though this softness may have drip down over your eyes.

This is your joy-this is another gift for you–the oil of gladness.

You are being marked by this oil of gladness–of joy. Anointed, loved and healed by this touch upon your forward head.
Feel every sensation of this loving touch and notice the joy that wells up deep within you.
Your shoulders are being draped with a new garment now…
It is the most exquisite, colorful fabric that you have ever seen—and it flows with you when you move. It brings lightness and joy. It brings forth the desire deep with in you for freedom. It makes you want to run, and jump and shout and throw your arms wide open…
This is your garment of praise. It is yours to keep. It is part of your blessing today, the favor that rests upon you–this gift of healing, this gift of love.

Notice now, the lightness that you feel and remember the ashes that blew off your finger tips a moment ago.
Remind your self through the day and the days to come, that you have joined with the power of God now to heal from the pain you have been carrying.
You are no longer a slave to this disappointment. No longer will it plague your thoughts during the day nor will it invade your dreams at night.

You have been blessed. You have been give a garland to replace those ashes, you have been anointed with the oil of gladness…and you dance in your spirit mind and heart and body with your new garment of praise.
This is your year.