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Gratitude Lounge

Welcome! We are glad you are here. This is an open space where everyone belongs, and everyone is welcome. Please introduce yourself as you feel comfortable and join in sharing your experience of grateful living. To get started you might reflect upon questions such as these: What am I grateful for? What is grateful living inspiring me to do? What are some blessings in my life (including ones in disguise)? How am I being supported right now? What connects me to wonder, awe, or a sense of the sacred? You are welcome to include images and links for videos to illustrate your reflections.

  • Mary
    Thank you, dear Mary and Diane, for your loving encouragement. I am so touched and I trust your hopes are coming true. I am so happy that Kristi is offering a mini-retreat centered on her new book, which I find such a reflection of my own life. Her words are like a gardening kit giving me tools to attend to my life and in the same moment be in awe of what I see in the garden plot each day. And what I am learning is that what I see may be both/and...blossoms, fruit, weeds, and stones....yet ...

    Thank you, dear Mary and Diane, for your loving encouragement. I am so touched and I trust your hopes are coming true. I am so happy that Kristi is offering a mini-retreat centered on her new book, which I find such a reflection of my own life. Her words are like a gardening kit giving me tools to attend to my life and in the same moment be in awe of what I see in the garden plot each day. And what I am learning is that what I see may be both/and…blossoms, fruit, weeds, and stones….yet in all there is a miraculous gift IF ONLY I am willing to acknowledge the lessons and gifts. One moment at a time. Slowly. Yes, I keep hearing within ….slow, Mary….slow. With lots of hugs…for myself and YOU ALL!

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  • Mike S

    Good morning everyone. I am putting my faith in this day of the inauguration of a new president that some fresh air will come in to our country and revive our hearts. May we all experience a brightening of our spirits.

    • Diane

      Good morning Mike…..I am hopeful for the healing of our nation. May God abundantly bless our new president and vice president. 🙠May we all be safe and may hearts be opened to peace.

    • Palm

      Dear Mike, today I have been thinking of our American friends here. I join in your beautiful prayer, thank you.
      Palm (an Italian-Venezuelan living in South Africa)

  • Diane
    Good morning lovely friends: So grateful to be here with you this Tuesday morning. It made me smile to see the Earth Altars that were shared here. I forwarded the article from this site to my brother because together we are trying the navigate the grief of our older sister's end of life journey. She has been very ill for a very long time and has just this week been put on hospice care. He and I are both far away from her and her family and with the current Covid crisis are not able to b...

    Good morning lovely friends:
    So grateful to be here with you this Tuesday morning.

    It made me smile to see the Earth Altars that were shared here. I forwarded the article from this site to my brother because together we are trying the navigate the grief of our older sister’s end of life journey. She has been very ill for a very long time and has just this week been put on hospice care. He and I are both far away from her and her family and with the current Covid crisis are not able to be there with her as her journey is coming to an end. How to honor her and have our own ceremony that will give us comfort and help us to say goodbye from afar? And then the gift of Earth Altars appeared and my heart just filled with gratitude.

    My brother and I are both nature lovers and I often shared with our sister over the years how connecting to the earth has been such a blessing in my life. I suggested to my brother that as a healing ritual and in honor of our sister that we each make our own Earth Altar and send each other a picture. A miracle of sorts, and as often happens on this sacred website, was offered at just the right time

    I am eternally grateful to have “found” this site (more accurately it found me!) and all the ways it has blessed me over the years. And most especially….I am grateful for all of you in this sacred community.

    ~Have a blessed day my friends and thank you for your generosity of heart in sharing. ♥

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    • Mary

      Arms stretched around your hearts for always.

    • Palm

      â¤ï¸

    • Mica

      Good heavens, Diane – it’s Tuesday, and it’s almost over. Thank you for reminding me, and for pointing out that the beautiful images are Earth Altars. Warm wishes to you and your brother and sister, as she takes her final journey.

  • Mary

    I am finding so much comfort and care as I have begun reading Kristi Nelson’s new book. A support and a new friend to walk this path of gratefulness and new life each day!

  • Mary
    Before I chose to write my thanksgiving in this space, I wanted to quickly write Gratefulness.org. Yet perhaps this open space will become a portal for me to connect and to offer my thanks from my heart. I just listened to the video by Brother David named "Blessings." The six blessings. I am ever grateful. I needed this very much this morning. I am into my second month recovering from a fainting episode which left me with a concussion.. A health challenge I have never had to face and live...

    Before I chose to write my thanksgiving in this space, I wanted to quickly write Gratefulness.org. Yet perhaps this open space will become a portal for me to connect and to offer my thanks from my heart. I just listened to the video by Brother David named “Blessings.” The six blessings. I am ever grateful. I needed this very much this morning. I am into my second month recovering from a fainting episode which left me with a concussion.. A health challenge I have never had to face and live with in my almost seventy years. Yet I see there has been healing in small measure so I give thanks for this and do not write to dwell on this. Instead, I say huge thanks for this source of comfort and direction which I sorely needed this morning and will return to often.
    I return today to myself and am grateful that I indeed am able to return to myself. Alive. Breathing.
    I confess to having felt so very alone during this time as well as hungry for human touch. A warm, soft hug. A sense of peace when I lie down at night to sleep. Less pain.
    Yet my current condition sharpens my awareness of my love for others and my gratitude for good health when it visits me. And that I am not alone when I am faced with such challenges.
    I am grateful that I am able to walk. I am grateful that I have a table to sit at to eat foods I have prepared in my own little kitchen.
    I am grateful I have money to buy food to prepare. I am grateful I have a faithful car to take me to food stores to buy such items.
    I am grateful for the smiling faces who greet me and have wiped clean the grocery cart for me. I am grateful for the ladies at the counters when I check out.
    I am grateful for the sky and her clouds and color beyond any human description. I am grateful for the geese which fly skimming the lake and voicing their celebration for life.
    I am grateful that I may come to this keyboard and type out this message so that my heart knows I am listening to her and that I have not plummeted into a dark space unable to witness these gifts about which I write. I am grateful. I am. Bless us all with all our blessings freely given and shared. Hugs forever, Mary

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    • Mica

      A sense of peace when you lie down to sleep – yes, Mary!

    • Diane

      Good morning Mary…welcome to this sacred community. We have another member named Mary who drops by on occasion!
      Thank you for sharing your grateful heart with us and for your blessings and hugs. And I offer my prayers for your continued recovery and that you will feel God’s Presence and peace.
      Your words of gratitude are an inspiration…have a blessed day Mary ♥

    • Mike S

      Glad to have you in this space and I wish you a full recovery of your health and confidence. I appreciate your courage and openness, and send virtual hugs as a sign of caring we all need. Please know that you are not alone.

      • Mary

        Thank you, Mike, so much. Your reaching out with compassion and care means the world. I may receive medical attention today and for this another gift for gratefulness. I hope for you days filled with wondrous surprises and unexpected causes for awe! YES!

  • Nitesh Kumar Sharma

    I am grateful for my parents who did sacrifice almost everything just to make me capable of doing small things that I do with a pure heart and great thought.

    And now if I would not use my capabilities to do those small things the way they have to be done. I think it would be an injustice to them.

  • Drew Blanton

    Martin Luther King, Jr.
    by Drew Blanton

    Martin Luther King, Jr., was a man
    With a plan.
    He had a dream
    That would make any racist scream.
    He wanted equality for all races
    So we could be in the same spaces.
    For this he was killed.
    Imagine if he were billed!

    • Mica

      Thank you, Drew!!

    • Diane

      Drew….I love your poem. Thank you for sharing your gifts with us here! I hope you are settling in and happy in your new surroundings.
      Have a blessed day! ♥

  • Michele

    I just went outback and gathered what was in my backyard. Here’s my Earth Altar

  • Paintboxgirl

    To the sea shore I go, to feel the energy, and feel the dance.
    I can quietly say hello and thank you to the mighty forces of life,
    for all that has come and gone.

    • Diane

      Dear paintboxgirl…first of all, love your name! 😊
      I grew up at the beach and it has always been a magical place for me. Watching the waves come in to the shore is a gift. Like my friend Pilgrim, I too miss it! Thank you for sharing ♥

    • Nitesh Kumar Sharma

      Every time I saw a water wave coming from the sea towards me. I have always felt that it is not only a wave that is coming towards me, it is the energy that it brings and passes to all those who are present there. Thanks for this wonderful picture and for reminding all of us of the beauty of the sea and Seashore too.

    • Mike S

      Amen. The ocean for me is so calming in its great expansiveness.

    • Pilgrim

      Ah, how I miss the sea! Thank you for the wonderful photo.

    • Mica

      Your sea shore picture gave me a deep breath of gratitude, Paintboxgirl – thanks!

  • Mike S

    Postings on this page seem to have slow down now that were in the new year. I miss hearing your voices as they have been an inspiration to me, and I feel that there has been and still is a real sense of community. Let me bless you all wishing youHappiness and peace in this new year.

  • Anne

    My first Mandala created today.

  • Diane
    Lovely friends: I am tired from all the work involved in our upcoming move. My emotions are high and my old friend anxiety has settled in for an extended visit. I am trying to remember to breathe! Morning meditations, the love and support of my husband and daughters, and God's grace are all providing me strength, one moment at a time. I've been using mantras and visualizations throughout the day and guided meditations as I prepare for sleep. For all these things, for all of you, and fo...

    Lovely friends:

    I am tired from all the work involved in our upcoming move. My emotions are high and my old friend anxiety has settled in for an extended visit. I am trying to remember to breathe! Morning meditations, the love and support of my husband and daughters, and God’s grace are all providing me strength, one moment at a time. I’ve been using mantras and visualizations throughout the day and guided meditations as I prepare for sleep.

    For all these things, for all of you, and for our dear sister Ursula who we remember especially on our prayer Tuesday, I am eternally grateful.
    ~Om Shanti friends ♥

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    • Nitesh Kumar Sharma

      That’s the true power of being grateful. And the simple step you taught me is to try to remember to breathe no matter how much work you have to finish or how much hectic your life is.

      I somewhere read that “gratitude for just a few minutes can help you turn what you have into enough.”

      • Diane

        Good morning Nitesh
        Yes…being fully present in each moment and awareness of my breath. Always my heart’s desire….and especially now when life is happening and anxiety is visiting!
        Thank you for sharing with me.
        ~Om Shanti

    • Pilgrim

      Wishing you many blessings, my friend, as you prepare for your upcoming move. It is a lot to hold in your heart, in addition to the sheer physical exertion and mental/emotional energy as you decide what to move and not, and plan for the day you drive away. Take the best care possible of yourself, of your heart. The adventure awaits, as do your daughters, ready and excited to welcome you when you arrive. You are braver than you know.

      • Diane

        Good morning my dear friend. Thank you for your blessings and for reminding me to practice self-care during this transition time in my life. I have been rising before the sun these days. Watching the dark turn into light with all the beauty of the sunrise over the farmland has been a gift. It is a holy, sacred time. And it helps me to be brave.

        ~So very grateful for you ♥♥♥

    • Mike S

      Diane, receive my prayers if well wishing and peace. Moving is stressful but also often gives an opportunity for personal transformation. Blessings,

      • Diane

        Good morning Mike….I receive your prayers with a grateful heart ♥
        ~Blessings to you this day friend

  • Mike S

    Happy new year everyone. I miss seeing posts in the space. How are you all doing? Yesterday I had a birthday and I need a robe 78 years old and trusting for another wonderful decade.

    • Nitesh Kumar Sharma

      Hey! Mike, you look young and your words are pretty enthusiastic. I wish you that this year may help you love yourself even more than you had loved yourself in the years that have passed.

      You’re just hilarious and I can see your smile in your profile pic. “And I must say that you will live another decade more joyfully, extra happily, and infinite bravely.”

      Wishing you a Happy, Happy Birthday to you, A Happy Happy Birthday to You, MIke.

    • Diane

      Dear Mike….happy belated birthday! I hope it was wonderful….despite these uncertain and challenging times. God’s blessings as you begin your 79th year! We are so glad you are here…you have been such a bright light since joining our little community.

      ~Peace and all good friend ♥

    • Pilgrim

      Happy belated birthday, Mike! And happy new year, as well. How I am doing is basically taking it one day, or one hour, at a time. These feel like the strangest of times, and I have to work at keeping my head and emotions above water. But I’m grateful for my health thus far, for this site, for my family near and far. I hope you and all our friends here are well.

      • Mike S

        Thanks Pilgrim.

      • Mike S

        Good to hear from you. Yes, we need level minds and open hearts to follow a middle path through the anger and frustration found at the extremes of our society. And prayer for ourselves, families and society as w hole.

  • Diane
    Good morning lovely friends Right now, as I type this I can see a brilliant red cardinal at our feeder. He is sitting perfectly still....content to share for awhile with the sparrows that have joined him on the feeder and the mourning doves underneath him feasting on the seeds that he has dropped. Maybe he is dropping seeds on purpose....taking care of his fellow bird-friends! Our St. Francis statue sits under the pine tree nearby...I imagine St. Francis smiling at this caring comradery ð...

    Good morning lovely friends

    Right now, as I type this I can see a brilliant red cardinal at our feeder. He is sitting perfectly still….content to share for awhile with the sparrows that have joined him on the feeder and the mourning doves underneath him feasting on the seeds that he has dropped.
    Maybe he is dropping seeds on purpose….taking care of his fellow bird-friends! Our St. Francis statue sits under the pine tree nearby…I imagine St. Francis smiling at this caring comradery 😊

    A european starling has arrived and he is more aggressive than the cardinal…the sparrows are keeping their distance now. It’s so fun to watch their comings and goings…..the world is a brighter place because of birds in my opinion.

    I am mindful of the blessing that living in our farmland surroundings has been these past 5 years. I’m trying to soak it all up before we leave. I wonder what magical place God has prepared for us in Colorado? Just being near our daughters is enough…but I’m remembering a promise from the New Testament that God will do immeasurably more than we could ever ask or imagine. Even in my “old age” I am still learning about trust and hope and waiting during this time of uncertainty and transition.

    It is Tuesday morning…..our connection is strong as we remember our sister Ursula. Grateful to be here with all of you!

    ~Blessings ♥

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    • Annie
      Dear Diane, What a wonderful post ! You are so blessed !!! How delightful to watch the birds at your feeder. I miss so much being visually /hearing impaired. But I know when I leave this life I will see and hear perfectly . So I rejoice always ! No matter what the situation may be. God blessed me with a fabulous garden when I lived in Arizona. It was so dear to me...the roses among the statue of Our Lady Blessed Virgin Mary. She tended the roses I am sure. A lemon tree that would not quit...so ...

      Dear Diane, What a wonderful post ! You are so blessed !!! How delightful to watch the birds at your feeder. I miss so much being visually /hearing impaired. But I know when I leave this life I will see and hear perfectly . So I rejoice always ! No matter what the situation may be. God blessed me with a fabulous garden when I lived in Arizona. It was so dear to me…the roses among the statue of Our Lady Blessed Virgin Mary. She tended the roses I am sure. A lemon tree that would not quit…so many amazing lemons. And so many other flowers, herbs and trees. But the time came when God called me to move to Rhode Island to be near my son and daughter and their children….precious time spent with them is priceless. And living in an apartment on the 3rd floor I look forward to my balcony garden . This Spring I will be planting wildflower seeds there !!!! Pretty exciting ! And even more exciting….soon I will have a new grandchild ! He/she is due January 16th. My daughter-in-law is having the baby at home. Please if you would pray all goes well. I am not so comfortable about her decision to have her baby at home. Anyway … I look forward to the event.
      God bless !

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      • Diane
        Dear Annie....I am so grateful for your response to my post. I haven't had much time lately to visit here as we are in the middle of selling our home and preparing to move across the country. Arizona has a very special place in my heart as well. Our older daughter went to college there and then stayed for another 11 years. We always planned to join her there as we approached retirement age. I loved our visits and I have so many beloved memories from that time. We were sad when she and h...

        Dear Annie….I am so grateful for your response to my post. I haven’t had much time lately to visit here as we are in the middle of selling our home and preparing to move across the country.

        Arizona has a very special place in my heart as well. Our older daughter went to college there and then stayed for another 11 years. We always planned to join her there as we approached retirement age. I loved our visits and I have so many beloved memories from that time. We were sad when she and her now-husband relocated to Colorado and I think a piece of my heart will always remain in Arizona’s magical landscape.
        But God has his plans, and now that our younger daughter has joined her sister and brother-in-law in Colorado…the time has come for us to join them! Colorado has it’s own unique beauty of course and we are eagerly anticipating the day when we will all be together.

        So…we are making similar journeys for similar reasons! Congratulations on the upcoming birth of your grandchild. I will certainly remember your daughter-in-law and the baby in my prayers…confident that our Mother Mary will be by their side. Abundant blessings to you all ♥

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        • Annie

          Good morning Diane! My new grandchild was born yesterday ! Another girl ! And he name is River Ann….7lbs 19inches . Now I have 4 beautiful grandgirls …like precious flowers in my garden. See dear friend …how it gets even better than you even dream it can get! The best is yet to come …
          God bless you and your family …sending love your way.

      • Alicia

        Annie, I’m praying for your daughter- in- law.
        My daughter chose to have her children at home in a country in Europe .
        I am in the US.
        I know your concerns.
        God bless.

        • Annie

          Thank you Alicia, My new grand child was born yesterday ! She is beautiful, healthy and all went well. Her name is River Ann. I am so grateful and thrilled1 God is so good to me!

        • Pilgrim

          Alicia! Good to see you here!

        • Annie

          Thanks Alicia, I am in the United States as well. And so is my daughter-in-law.

    • Mica

      Thank you, Diane! My only cardinals now are metal or flat art. They were so wonderful when I was growing up in western PA

  • Cheryle

    May all of you dear ones discover exquisite surprises in your day today; or, in your night from my heart to yours lovingly

  • 100 Cobblestone Court

    Today I am grateful for a beautiful walk with my dog tonight and to look up at the night sky full of beautiful stars. What a blessing!

  • Ms. Awesome

    I just want to say Hello to all and much love to all and I am so grateful to be able to communicate via this website much love
    Dee

  • Mica

    Do your best and then relax. Let things go on in a natural way, rather than force them.
    PARAMAHANSA YOGANANDA
    How did they know that was Exactly what I needed this morn? Have become a MacBook user after ~35 yrs of using a PC and am struggling. Too many problems with my PC and Windows…
    Warm wishes to all on this gray – for me – day – weatherwise; not otherwise.

  • Mike S
    I am reading Marianne Williamson’s book The year in miracles.It is profound and moving with short chapters for each day of the year. This on forgiveness is especially poignant. Forgiveness sets me free of pain. We don’t forgive someone for their sake; we forgive them for the sake of our own peace of mind. Any attack on another person is an attack upon ourselves, for in the spiritual universe there is only one of us here. What I think about anyone else I’m thinking about myself. All of us...

    I am reading Marianne Williamson’s book The year in miracles.It is profound and moving with short chapters for each day of the year. This on forgiveness is especially poignant.

    Forgiveness sets me free of pain. We don’t forgive someone for their sake; we forgive them for the sake of our own peace of mind. Any attack on another person is an attack upon ourselves, for in the spiritual universe there is only one of us here. What I think about anyone else I’m thinking about myself. All of us are joined in the oneness of God’s love. Only love is real and only love has power; everything else is a mortal illusion.

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    • Anna

      Dear Mike, it’s so true, forgiveness gives us the peace we need deep in our hearts.
      But it’s not that easy, because of the memory we have of someone who hurt us in the past, who caused great pain .. I think we can forgive, but we must always surround our memories with kind thoughts about ourselves and if possible , with thoughts of understanding towards those who have hurt us.
      Many blessings, Mike!

      • Alicia

        Hello, dear Anna,
        I think of you and all here.
        It is timely to see this discussion re forgiveness . It is freeing to forgive , but it is oh, so hard.
        I send prayers to all of you who know me and all I have yet to “ meet “.
        Love to all.

        • Anna
          Dear Alicia !! So happy to see you! You made my day! I just parked the car and read your post, because I have some time before starting my work. Happy New Year dear friend, I hope you are well, and I am even happier to see you, knowing the news about this pandemic in your country, as well as the other political news. As you know, my father died last November and now I have to take care of my mother, who is slowly getting some sort of Alzheimer's. Sometimes talking about forgiveness makes me...

          Dear Alicia !!
          So happy to see you! You made my day!
          I just parked the car and read your post, because I have some time before starting my work.
          Happy New Year dear friend, I hope you are well, and I am even happier to see you, knowing the news about this pandemic in your country, as well as the other political news.
          As you know, my father died last November and now I have to take care of my mother, who is slowly getting some sort of Alzheimer’s.
          Sometimes talking about forgiveness makes me think of my mother, because she was not so kind to me and my sisters, she wanted us perfect, she was always conditioned by my grandmother, and now she makes the very mistakes she didn’t want us to make. It’s difficult Alicia, very difficult.

          Feel embraced, dear friend!

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      • Mike S

        Anna, yes forgiveness is hard when we push up against these painful memories of hurt from another. One thing I’ve done is to imagine what is in the mind and heart of the person who hurt me, and that help-s me feel what they were feeling. Any slight or cruelty to another comes from suffering. If I can open just a bit beyond my own pain to feel that of the other, I’m alreadyt on the path toward healing.

        • Anna

          Yes I agree Mike, this is the right path for peace.

    • Cheryle

      Beautiful thank you for sharing that… how blessed we are to be graced with forgiveness to ourselves to others ultimately to us all as she so eloquently describes after all we are one!

  • Drew Blanton

    I might get to go somewhere called Thrive Upstate.

    • Alicia

      Hi, Drew, I wish you the very best. I have thought of you often and kept you in my prayers. You are brave. You are loved.

    • Mica

      Good luck and warm wishes, Drew, as you settle into all the changes in your life.
      2 tiny birds are enjoying themselves on my balcony!!

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