I love all the gratitude quotes and memes that appear every Thanksgiving.
In fact, I love them so much that, instead of struggling to narrow it down to just one, I decided to share a bunch of them instead!
And finally…
An abundance of gratitude
From a funny, songwriting friend
I’m pretty sure I’ve mentioned Greg Tamblyn (comedic singer and songwriter) before. He’s one of those people who was part of my life only for a brief spell (more years ago than I care to remember!), but whose music impacted me deeply during that time. It’s surely been over thirty years since the last time we connected but I’ll always think of him as a friend.
Anyway, I still get his newsletter and there’s almost always something in it that either makes me chuckle or causes me to pause and reflect. Sometimes both.
The primary topic of this newsletter was Gratitude; Vegetables; Awe and Wonder. There was a lot in it to ponder and reflect on, but I felt to share a few random tidbits.
“There’s always a lot to be thankful for if you take time to look for it.
For example, I’m sitting here thinking how nice it is that wrinkles don’t hurt.”
– Unknown Author
“The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious.
It is the source of all true art and all science. He to whom this
emotion is a stranger, who can no longer pause to wonder and
stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead: his eyes are closed.”
– Albert Einstein
“If you wish to make an apple pie truly from scratch,
you must first invent the universe.”
– Carl Sagan
Living in gratitude
I had an urge for a kombucha the other day and came upon GT’s Synergy fall edition flavor, titled: Living in Gratitude.
So, let me start off by sharing how grateful I am that — in the midst of all the crazy stuff going on in the world — this company is committed to expressing beautiful, positive, and uplifting ideals (see below for what is written on the bottle).
As of now, GT’s Synergy is officially my favorite brand of kombucha!
The Gift of the Present
I’ve found that when we dwell on what could have been, and wait for what could be, we take the present for granted. Living in gratitude unleashes joy in the now and nourishes your soul. In this one precious life we are given, may you favor the blessings in front of you and pay them forward with kindness. — GT Dave, Founder
Prayer of Gratitude
In this present moment, may grace envelop you and open your heart wide to the here and now. In this sacred space, may gratitude grow inside you and reveal the profound beauty of life.
Affirmation
I open my eyes to gratitude, by opening my heart to love. I am rooted in this practice, for its generosity knows no bounds.
Major gratitude
We accomplished a lot in this afternoon’s music retreat, but a particularly powerful moment for me was answering the following question:
“In your heart of hearts, what do you want most to accomplish in the music or the Arts before you leave the planet?”
This was my answer:
” To help establish a really deep, really strong, absolutely clear and attuned core music leadership that will protect and carry forward Swami’s musical legacy far into the future, which will assure the future of Ananda as well.”
Beyond that, I’m just so grateful… to be part of such a dynamic team; for the blessing of our music; and for the meaning and purpose it gives to my life.
Grateful for Dad & family
Today’s celebration of Dad’s 90th birthday was a resounding success.
It left me both exhausted and deeply appreciative of how blessed I am to have grown up in a large and loving family. Especially considering that my wonderful Dad is who he is thanks to his family.
So, here’s to family — quirky, flawed, complicated, challenging — but loving one another just the same, to the very best of our ability.
Remembering a special anniversary
One consequence of these past few days of intense activity was missing a fairly important anniversary. In fact, it was on October 12, 2022 that I had my final doctor’s appointment at UC Davis Medical Center and was declared officially “done” with the hospital part of my stem cell transplant process.
I still had a few (preventative) prescriptions to take. I also had to keep in mind that rebuilding my brand new immune system would take time…as well as the eventual repeat of all my childhood vaccinations.
Now it’s hard to believe all that was going on just over a year ago. It simply doesn’t seem quite real.
But the feelings of intense gratitude remain and are very real indeed. I’m pretty sure they’ll be that way forever!
Accepting change
Today I witnessed a friend realizing and graciously accepting a previously unsuspected limitation.
And it got me reflecting — certainly not for the first time — on the bittersweet quality of the autumn season.
Of fully embracing the beauty inherent in the transition. Of being grateful for the abundance and bounty we have enjoyed, even as we accept its unavoidable passing.
Trees, bodies, loved ones. They all change and eventually pass. My prayer is to learn to accept the changes as graciously as did my friend.
A necessary reminder
Dealing with subtle feelings of irritation tonight and not liking the way it’s pulling down my energy.
Time to focus on gratitude instead, which isn’t hard because I’ve got lots and lots to be grateful for!
Which reminds me… I think I’m ready to follow-up on my gratitude tattoo.
Wonder of wonders, miracle of miracles!
Today I received an email with the subject: Your Student Loans Have Been Forgiven.
I couldn’t believe my eyes, but it went on to say:
Congratulations! The Biden-Harris Administration has forgiven some or all of your federal student loan(s) with MOHELA in full.
This debt relief was processed as part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s one-time account adjustment because your student loan(s) have been in repayment of at least 20 or 25 years.
Well, I immediately logged into my student loan account and saw a bunch of $0.00’s.
At which point I burst into tears.
You see, I borrowed $5,000 back in the mid-80’s when I was going to the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. I was determined to make it as a freelance musician and I did not have much understanding or practical skills when it came to money.
An unfortunate combination.
I chose the repayment option where you start out with small payments but agree to greatly increased amounts after a certain length of time. But when that time came I wasn’t earning appreciably more — or handling my earnings any better.
So, I missed payments, got derailed by rocky life experiences (like the end of my marriage, the death of my mother, etc.), slipped into denial, and eventually landed in default.
To make a long story short, I eventually had to refinance the loan. I’m still not entirely sure how it worked, but I think that all the interest I had accumulated became part of the principle owed. At any rate, the amount I was now paying off was many, many times more than that original $5,000.
By the time I moved back from Europe in 2006, I was painfully aware of what a mess I had created through my combination of ignorance and denial. I had learned my lesson the hard way.
In fact, although I was staying meticulously current with whatever payments I could afford, and immediately communicated if there were any change in my situation, I was depressingly aware that I would most likely take this debt to my grave.
I can hardly find the words to convey what a weight off my heart and psyche it is to understand that — after almost forty years — I can let this go.
It truly feels like a miracle.
A beautiful evening for a lovely rehearsal
Tonight was our final choir rehearsal for this Saturday’s event celebrating Nayaswami Jyotish’s 80th birthday.
Two of the musical offerings we’ve prepared for Jyotish felt rather daunting to pull together in the limited time we had available after the conclusion of Spiritual Renewal Week. But tonight it was clear that both projects were absolutely the right thing to do, and they’re coming together beautifully.
In fact, thinking over the entire rehearsal, I’m feeling a whole lot of gratitude for the harmonious, team-oriented, collaborative way that our music ministry and the entire choir works together.
Sure, there are chaotic moments, but the overall feeling is one of uplifted and uplifting FUN.
What a joy it is to serve in this way.