21 Days of Gratitude: Day 1 A New Beginning.

Since November is ( for those who live in the U.S.) the month of Thanksgiving, I want to take the next three weeks to make daily posts about things I am grateful for. There was an old hymn I heard growing up called “Count your blessings”. So since I believe gratitude begets blessings, (and we could use a little more of that,) Come with me as we go on this journey of thankfulness. 

As this new day begins, I am grateful for the blessing of new opportunities. I used to think of beginnings as the end of a chapter or a new day but really it is more of the same narrative, the same road just that the scenery has somewhat changed. Almost nothing ‘just begins’ most change is slow, even if we are unmindful of the way things are moving. If we can learn to sense the ecotone between these merging worlds it can be a rich vein of spiritual growth.
As life evolves, the new era could be a happy one like travel, or a new play to be in, or sometimes sad like the loss of a family member. But in the gray, there is the light of joy or at the very least a bittersweet lesson. Sometimes that is the only way we can grow and be a better person is by having experienced an opportunity to learn albeit painfully. The koan that is our time in this world is what gives dimension to our lives.

Sometimes failure fractures Hope. We begin to fear starting over. We begin to allow ourselves to believe lies such as “I’m too old” or “Nothing will change” We move the parameters of what is possible closer to ourselves. We begin limiting ourselves. Henry Ford once said, “Whether you think you can, or think you can’t, either way, you’re right.” Our hearts are mirrors that reflect all we have been told both the false and true.  As we learn to jettison all that is false or unhelpful, we propel ourselves into the stratosphere of our highest self.