This week, many of us will be getting together for Thanksgiving to celebrate our friends and family, and all the other good things in our lives. Some of us may even be involved in some kind of community outreach project, sharing a meal with those less fortunate. Whatever we are doing on this day is great, but let’s remember that it is possible to connect to this elevated consciousness of appreciation every day of the year.
There are some among us who might look at a magnificent painting and think, “What a beautiful work of art. What a blessing it is, this beautiful painting!” At the same time, we might also think, “Thank God, I have the eyes to see it!” It is human nature to take the real blessings of the Creator for granted. It is easy to be grateful when something good happens or when we achieve our goals. But really, the greatest gifts we have are those that go unnoticed in our daily life, and it takes effort and awareness to recognize them.
If we are honest with ourselves, we know that in addition to being asleep at night, we can also be asleep during the day. It is very easy to go through our days being good people and doing what we are “supposed” to do. But to really live life requires a much greater desire—a desire for genuine fulfillment that we constantly need to ask for and to build.
To really live is to wake up and inject new energy into each day. In practice, this means recognizing what our individual gifts are, using them, and sharing them with the world. But we cannot accomplish this unless we first are able to cultivate appreciation—to consciously work to see the good in ourselves and in others.
Don’t get me wrong. It’s not always easy to do this. Sadness can be one of the greatest roadblocks to our transformation. But when we fall into despair, we become disconnected from the Light and lose our clarity. We cannot access the information that is there for us. We cannot read the signs; we do not get the messages. They are everywhere—these messages and these signs—but oftentimes, we are unable to see them because we are so caught up in ourselves.
When we look back on our life, we don’t want to regret that we didn’t do more because we are always capable of doing more with the gifts and talents we have been given. The time will come when I will look back and ask: Did I do enough? Did I share my gifts? Was there a place where I could have done more?
The point is always to appreciate but never to be satisfied. We are here to do the work of our soul, and there is always a higher level we can strive for in our spiritual transformation.
There are some among us who might look at a magnificent painting and think, “What a beautiful work of art. What a blessing it is, this beautiful painting!” At the same time, we might also think, “Thank God, I have the eyes to see it!” It is human nature to take the real blessings of the Creator for granted. It is easy to be grateful when something good happens or when we achieve our goals. But really, the greatest gifts we have are those that go unnoticed in our daily life, and it takes effort and awareness to recognize them.
If we are honest with ourselves, we know that in addition to being asleep at night, we can also be asleep during the day. It is very easy to go through our days being good people and doing what we are “supposed” to do. But to really live life requires a much greater desire—a desire for genuine fulfillment that we constantly need to ask for and to build.
To really live is to wake up and inject new energy into each day. In practice, this means recognizing what our individual gifts are, using them, and sharing them with the world. But we cannot accomplish this unless we first are able to cultivate appreciation—to consciously work to see the good in ourselves and in others.
Don’t get me wrong. It’s not always easy to do this. Sadness can be one of the greatest roadblocks to our transformation. But when we fall into despair, we become disconnected from the Light and lose our clarity. We cannot access the information that is there for us. We cannot read the signs; we do not get the messages. They are everywhere—these messages and these signs—but oftentimes, we are unable to see them because we are so caught up in ourselves.
When we look back on our life, we don’t want to regret that we didn’t do more because we are always capable of doing more with the gifts and talents we have been given. The time will come when I will look back and ask: Did I do enough? Did I share my gifts? Was there a place where I could have done more?
The point is always to appreciate but never to be satisfied. We are here to do the work of our soul, and there is always a higher level we can strive for in our spiritual transformation.
Wishing you a beautiful holiday filled with love, light, and laughter.
Karen
Karen
