Tag Archive for "Gratitude"

Posts Tagged ‘Gratitude’

Thanksgiving Graces

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As we enter the season of gratitude and generosity (two of my favorite ingredients for a happy life,) I offer you these excerpts from my book Simple Graces for every Meal, and a link to a list I once created on the Best Things in Life. Wishing you all lovely Thanksgivings, with many moments of love, appreciation, and peace. ~Ingrid

Such Blessings we receive!
Such gifts of grace!
If we have wandered from the path of gladness,
Point us back to Life!

Let us join together
In the sweetness of this hour
With full and thankful hearts;
Thoughtful and generous minds.
~
Divine Wisdom, Eternal Love,
Infinite Beauty, and Radiant Joy,
We humbly ask your blessings
On this and every day.

Let us savor our days,
as we savor this meal.
Let us linger to enjoy
the bounty of each season.
Let us live to declare
we find life itself delicious.

We are gathered together
in a circle of plenty,
a circle of love, and a circle of light.
With peaceful hearts, we welcome each other.
With grateful hearts, we give thanks.

We dedicate this gathering
to the nourishment of each other,
through good food, thoughtful listening,
loving words and grateful hearts.
May the light of this occasion
reach every corner of the earth.

Let the depth of our compassion
nourish all we meet
just as the bounty at this table
nourishes us.

In our highest hopes
we see that the world is
one great family:
where it is possible that none go hungry,
where it is possible that justice, love, and health abound,
where it is possible that we may
never question our oneness.

~Ingrid Goff-Maidoff

Excerpts from my Simple Graces Book

Praying candles in a temple. “Such blessings we receive,
such gifts of grace.
If we have wandered from the path of gladness,
point us back to life!”

~Ingrid Goff-Maidoff

Happy Thanksgiving to all. As is my habit, here are some excerpts from my book, Simple Graces for Every Meal. I penned these graces in hopes that they would be comfortable and inspiring in all kinds of company. Joy to you this holiday season, Ingrid

Let us join together

in the sweetness of this hour

with full and thankful hearts;

thoughtful and generous minds.

We are gathered together

in a circle of plenty,

a circle of love, and a circle of light.

With peaceful hearts, we welcome each other.

With grateful hearts, we give thanks.

With joy and reverence we give thanks

for the wondrous power of growing things,

and for the sustenance our lives receive

from the beauty of the earth

and the fellowship of all beings.

Life that gives us life, we thank you.

To all who live on Martha’s Vineyard: The Bunch of Grapes Bookstore in Vineyard Haven has honored me with a lovely display. I am very grateful to have a year round outlet for my work there. I’ll also be at the Artisan’s Fair on Friday and Saturday this week, so please come! And my work is available at the Holiday Cooperative Shop on Main Street in Vineyard Haven (near Leslie’s).

Coming Home

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To write about coming home may seem odd for a gal who hasn’t been away anywhere, yet that’s how these days feel – as if I am home again after a long while. I am slowing down, easing into autumn after the summer whirl- a whirl in which it feels as if I went from the basement studio, where I assemble my books and wares, to the old Grange hall where I sell them. As I slow down I begin to notice things and therefore to enjoy them – like the way the setting sun lit up Kwan Yin’s face the other night. And my gosh the fish are vibrant and healthy.

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I’ve brought the plants in, and they make the house feel so cheery and alive.

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I’ve even been taking the time to hang out the laundry. It’s a pleasure and a privilege not to rush. How is it that my “to do” list is so long, and my “to be” list is so short? To be less hurried, more loving, happy, peaceful, at ease….

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Another quality of feeling at home is the sense of resting in belonging- of venturing out into the arms of the day that I feel when I head out on a walk somewhere. Here, the fields of Tea Lane farm are so beautiful.

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The evening light filtering through the woods; the stone walls; the occasional deer- all remind me somehow of the hidden world of the soul, and the unhidden world which is right here, to be noticed, savored and enjoyed at any moment… as soon as I remember to slow myself down and to come home.

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May all beings be well.
May all beings be free from suffering.
May all beings be peaceful and at ease.
May all beings know love and belonging…

Love in Action

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“Spirituality means love in action.
It means enjoying our spiritual riches and sharing them with all we meet.
We can learn to balance our spiritual practices with our worldly responsibilities,
enjoying the fruits within ourselves and sharing our gifts with humanity.”

~ Empowering Your Soul Through Meditationby Rajinder Singh

Today I am feeling very grateful for my work in this world, which is the work of sharing. And I am feeling grateful for this website and this online community. We all have our own ways of putting our love into action- what are some of yours?

I Love

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I Love:
Walking along the wooded trail…
The slant of golden light across the farmer’s field…
How birds in the bare branches of a distant tree look like musical notes…
This world of form, of ten thousand things.
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4 Simple Practices for Reclaiming Joy

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One day when I was feeling agitated, my mind restless with worry and complaints, I went for a walk and asked, in a walking prayer, for guidance. The much needed suggestion that came to me was:

Listen

Admire

Give Thanks

& Bless

Each of these words offers a practice that helps bring us back into the full graciousness of the present moment.

To listen is to get quiet, give your weary mind a rest from all the nagging thoughts, be open for guidance and deeper wisdom, and to become spacious. I find that a solitary walk is one of the best ways for me to do this. Meditation and contemplative reading also help.

To admire is to focus on and rejoice in all that is good and beautiful and abundant and true. Imagine that you are looking through a camera- look for colors, textures and loving details, action shots, smiling portraits, expressions of humor, passion, tenderness and joy.

To give thanks is to channel the flowing energy of gratitude and prosperity back into your life. Give thanks for all you admire. Give thanks for the gifts you so often take for granted. Give thanks for the people in your life and all that they have to teach you. Give thanks for your socks – just give thanks. A lot.

And to Bless is to become an active, loving, unselfish, generous, caring, compassionate, and Joyful participant in the big world. Through blessings we invoke light and love and goodness. We bless through our work, our art, our words, and our intentions. This is a million times more useful than complaining, helping us to reclaim joy and restore a balance of peace and love to the world.

Try it for yourself. Listen. Admire. Give Thanks, and Bless.

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Celebrating Poetry, Beauty, & the Sacred Essence of Joy