Soul Speak Attitude of Gratitude

Soul Speak Attitude of Gratitude

When I found more pain in others than what I found within myself

I learned what it meant to feel compassion

And my pain began to fade

When I found more forgiveness in others than I had within myself,

I learned what it meant to feel peace

I am grateful for learning the way to turn my scars into

Stars that guide my life and within that gratitude I am truly blessed.

Through the dark nights of my soul growth, I always held to my mother's life teachings about having an attitude of gratitude for the good in life and what IS working on focusing what is not. She reminded me that I had been one of the blessed few surviving the polio epidemic without lasting disability or death as so many others had. Even through years of daunting family dysfunction I never went short on any of the essentials of life, a home, food on our table, the ability to live, walk and function five senses intact. We loved in a safe, supportive community, with access to a good education and healthcare and that held true as a child and is true today.

My family lived in a safe, supportive community, with access to a good education and healthcare and that held true as a child and is true today. So yes, aspects of my life were daunting and felt dreadful, yet I learned how to thrive and thrive and now my painful life lessons are a testimony of hope for others. I am thankful every day for the bountiful blessings in my healing journey and the reason I feel a moral responsibility to share the truth I know for sure. It is not what happened to us that defines our lens on life or defines who we are and become. That is our responsibility to discover. That is the gift part of Divine Source giving everyone the right to choose and understand the cause and effect of what we think to say and do.

So yes, aspects of my life were daunting and felt dreadful and I admit to feeling victimized, hopeless and helpless during the shadows ages and stage of my earlier years. Through it all, my mother’s wise counsel about finding something to look forward to, count my blessings and keep my faith. Within the application of these wisdom ways I  learned how to survive, then thrive.  As a way to show my gratitude for prayers answered, I am choosing to share how painful life lessons can become a testimony of hope for others. I am thankful every day for the bountiful blessings in my healing journey and the reason I feel a moral responsibility to share the truth I know for sure. It is not what happened to us that defines our lens on life or defines who we are and become. That is our responsibility to discover. That is the gift part of Divine Source giving everyone the right to choose and understand the cause and effect of what we say, think and do.

When we begin the initiation process into a life we break up the old emotions, along with their habits and behaviors. It becomes easier to breakthrough long-established neural pathways in our primitive brain akin to a flood washing away old roadways of communication. Then changes occur from the inside out and outside in. The debilitating grip of emotions we repressed or denied rise and we are finally able to experience the full range of our humanity from pain to joy. When we feel it, we heal it. Old neural programming is created and as the old ways of holding things in are released there is room to feel greater love, peace, acceptance, integration, compassion, and generosity towards self and others.  Shamans refer to this practice metaphorically as acquiring our eagle wings. We are able to soar above situations without becoming entangled in them. We bring in the angels of the higher self.

Here are other examples of taking good for granted rather than an attitude of gratitude. There was a blind girl that hated herself because she was blind.  She hated everyone except her loving boyfriend.  He was always there for her.  

She told her boyfriend, "If I could see the world, I'd marry you."  One day someone donated a pair of eyes to her.  When the bandages came off, she was able to see everything, including her boyfriend.  He asked her, "Now that you can see the world, will you marry me?"  The girl looked at her boyfriend and saw that he was blind.  The sight of his closed eyelids shocked her.  She hadn't expected that.  The thought of looking at him for the rest of her life led her to refuse to marry him.  Her boyfriend left her in tears and days later wrote a note to her saying, 

"Take good care of your eyes, my dear, for before they were yours, they were mine." This is how the human brain often works when our status changes.  Only a very few remember what our life was like before, and who was always by their side in the most painful situations.

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be?  Your playing small does not serve the world. We were born to make manifest shining radiance of the Divine Spark within us. It is not just in some of us that love and light are for everyone. In addition, when we let our own light shine, lead by example, giving others permission to do the same. Once we are liberated from our own fear, our presence as a human BE-ing light our inner light does not need a center stage and we liberate and empower others to do the same.

Today before you say an unkind word -- Think of someone who can't speak.  Before you complain about the taste of your food -- Think of someone who has nothing to eat.  Before you complain about your husband or wife -- Think of someone who's crying out to Divine Source for a companion.  Today before you complain about life -- Think of someone who went too early to heaven.  Before you complain about your children -- Think of someone who desires children but they are barren.  Before you argue about your dirty house someone didn't clean or sweep -- Think of the people who are living in the streets. 

Before whining about the distance you drive -- Think of someone who walks the same distance with their feet.  And when you are tired and complain about your job -- Think of the unemployed, the disabled, and those who wish they had your job.  But before you think of pointing the finger or condemning another -- Remember that it is not our place to judge others.

Compassion is a mind that is motivated by cherishing other living beings and wishes to release them from their suffering. Throughout my life path, I bear witness to varying degrees of compassion and ability and show kindness. However, within humanity, there is an equal to or greater than a measure of bias, judgment, prejudice where kindness, unconditional love, and kindness. limited to those who are strangers or different in any way.  When our family and friends are suffering we easily develop compassion for them. Not so true for some to feel sympathy for people they find unpleasant, different or those we do not know. 

Take personal responsibility now--choose your thoughts--change your attitude and decide to believe in yourself and you will attract a happier life and feel a sense of freedom and independence.