Reflections

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  1. O.Christina

    When healing occurs, it is accompanied, might possibly in depth even only possible when a vibration of gratefulness accompanying the process, a grateful echo, a grateful reply to His love, heart to Heart.

    1 year ago
  2. Robin Ann

    Since I have come to this site I am taking care of myself better, sleeping better and less anxious. I am healing from so
    much worry over my daughter. She is safe now however up against many legal issues. A young man contacted me yesterday who said he has been a friend to my daughter for 2 mos now. I had prayed for a guardian angel to watch over her and my prayers came true! He is extremely fond of her and helped her anyway he could in the past 2 mos and wants to continue to be a support to her. Thank the Lord for kind and gentle souls that appear when you need them the most!!

    1 year ago
    1. Joseph McCann

      Loving kindness to you. your daughter and her friend, Robin Ann.

      12 months ago
  3. luv-1-nutter

    To be like a child in wonderment looking up at the stars after coming out of the ocean at night standing around the camp fire. . And giving myself the permission justt to walk away feeling amazed and that I do matter. – Deserato
    I am a poet and didn’t even know it

    1 year ago
  4. Kevin

    After years of various treatments and surgeries for this and that life events, I would simply say this: it is darn near impossible to truly heal from anything without a healthy dose of gratitude leading the way that healing is possible.

    1 year ago
  5. Charlie T

    From a position of gratefulness, more
    possibilities are available to me. I think
    even on the physical level, gratefulness
    can be a balm and can only help
    in the healing process. This is a good
    reminder for me today, as I’ve had a
    persistent cold and I’ve started to
    feel sorry for myself. I will return to
    my practices and open myself to healing.

    1 year ago
    1. Michele

      Healing energy to you Charlie, feel better soon:)

      12 months ago
    2. A
      Ana Maria

      Feel better soon Charlie!

      1 year ago
  6. Diane

    I have been living with chronic illness for over 30 years. Just yesterday my youngest daughter, who teaches middle schoolers as I did, texted this to me:
    “I don’t know how you do it. I am in awe of you every day. You’ve been chronically ill and fatigued since longer than I’ve been alive. It’s wild”

    Of course, this brought me to tears….as it happens I have been struggling with a lot of self-doubt and self-judgement lately. It was like a hug from God to receive that unsolicited text from my daughter.
    This relates to today’s question because my answer to her query “I don’t know how you do it?” was “One day at a time and keeping the blessings close”. Being aware of and grateful for my many blessings has brought me healing, maybe not physical but in other ways. I can see clearly how God has been working on my spiritual and mental health through this illness. I had no choice but to slow down! Meditation, mindfulness, trauma therapy, all the spiritual guides who have come to me through the books I have read, this website and others, my connection to nature and its healing power have all served to deepen my relationship with the Divine. I received all of these with a grateful heart for my circumstances that were used to heal me in ways I could not imagine.

    1 year ago
    1. A
      Ana Maria

      How beautiful Diane! Thank you so much for sharing! Blessings to you and your journey. You have a great gift in your daughter, thank you for all the years of dedication to our youth. What a gift you both are!

      1 year ago
  7. Michele

    Gratefulness opens me to healing by allowing me to be open to others different perspectives, maintaining a positive attitude and loving myself.

    1 year ago
  8. c
    carol

    I often find that for gratefulness to be both a mind and body experience it is preceded by appreciation. In its fullness gratefulness opens up to awe and wonder and a sense of feeling beauty.

    1 year ago
  9. Pilgrim

    I have been through some stuff, having been on this planet for 70+ years. But I don’t dwell there. I have so many good people in my life, past and present, and am more likely to recall my experiences of joy, learning, being still alive and making my way in the world. If/when I am feeling wounded or vulnerable in some way, I am likely to refer to past experiences and the many Wisdom people I know or have known, and go from there. Or I go out for a walk, breathe deeply, and let the music in my brain take it from there.

    1 year ago
    1. Diane

      Dear Pilgrim:
      You are always an inspiration to me. I spend way too much time ruminating about past mistakes…which of course is a complete waste of time. I am embracing your method….today I shall go for a walk, focus on my breath and make a joyful noise with songs that I love.
      Have a blessed day my dear friend ♥

      1 year ago
      1. Pilgrim

        Dear Diane, thank you for your kind words, my friend. Music seems to be the understory of my life, and a saving grace. I come from a family of musicians … a gift. Enjoy your walk and your day! Many blessings.

        1 year ago
  10. Carol

    Grate-ful-ness changes “What if?” into “What Is.” It brings me into the now and breeds opportunity. It doesn’t necessarily take away physical or emotional pain but it helps me find and see a way through. It defies “giving up” but has helped me to see the importance of “giving in.” It accents the wisdom of “rolling with the punches” and “going with the flow.” Ram Dass said “Be here, now” and “We are all just walking each other home.”

    Two other quotes that have helped me define my understanding of what it means to heal and to be an instrument of healing in this world are pasted below.

    “Our wounded child is not only us; he or she may represent several generations of ancestors.Our parents and ancestors may have suffered all their lives without knowing how to look after the wounded child in themselves, so they transmitted that child to us.So when we’re embracing the wounded child inside us, we’re embracing all the wounded children of past generations.This practice doesn’t just benefit us; it liberates numberless generations of ancestors and descendants. This practice can break the cycle.” -Thich Nhat Hanh The Art of Communicating

    Henry Nouwen says, “Forgiving does not mean forgetting. When we forgive a person, the memory of the wound might stay with us for a long time, even throughout our lives. Sometimes we carry the memory in our bodies as a visible sign. But forgiveness changes the way we remember. It converts the curse into a blessing. When we forgive our parents for their divorce, our children for their lack of attention, our friends for their unfaithfulness in crisis, our doctors for their ill advice, we no longer have to experience ourselves as the victims of events we had no control over. Forgiveness allows us to claim our own power and not let these events destroy us; it enables them to become events that deepen the wisdom of our hearts. Forgiveness indeed heals memories.”

    1 year ago
    1. Diane

      Thank you Carol for this perspective on the wounded child from Brother Thay. I am learning to embrace my wounded child but the thought that this benefits my wounded ancestors encourages me to continue to extend compassion to myself.

      Henri Nouwen has long been my spiritual guru…he came to me when I needed him most.

      1 year ago
    2. c
      carol

      Thank you, your reflection helps me to connect gratefulness to healing in tangible ways.

      1 year ago
    3. Barb C

      On the topic of forgiveness, I highly recommend the book On Repentance and Repair: Making Amends in an Unapologetic World, by Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg. She provides a wonderful analysis of what it means to genuinely acknowledge and make amends for actions. It’s grounded in Jewish law and for me as a non-Jew it was interesting to learn about that, but no particular faith system is necessary to recognize the value of the approach she lays out. It puts the work on the side of the one who did harm, with examples of everything from personal behavior and faux apologies to the harms done by nations to entire peoples.

      1 year ago
      1. Joseph McCann

        Barb C thank you for the word petrichor yesterday. It is new one for me and I hope to store it in cog 42!

        1 year ago
  11. D
    Don

    With a grateful heart I can forgive my body for becoming injured or ill. I can see that I am still surrounded by so much love and good. With a grateful heart I can see ways forward that I may support healing and continue to share love.

    1 year ago
  12. Jamie

    It helped me except that I am in needing of help and that the past is in the past and I can’t change that.

    1 year ago
    1. A
      Ana Maria

      Thank you for comment Jamie. What a journey this self healing can be. My dad past away at the the end of November last year, The emotional damage he leaves behind is powerful and real. My mom is in hospice right now. As we await with her I can see the damage to all of us siblings. I can’t change that either. All I know is that the past needs to be the past, it will be our journey to heal. I know that I must heal! I will do everything in my power to heal, it will take time and lots of self nurturing, mindfulness, prayers and the visit to this site to help me in my journey. Blessings to you!

      1 year ago
  13. Joseph McCann

    To accept the present moment, enjoy what good fortunes have been bestowed upon me and not worry about what might be next.

    1 year ago
    1. Carol

      Joseph, You’ve summed it up nicely! Thank you.

      1 year ago
  14. sunnypatti

    Being grateful keeps me in my right mind, and this allows the flow of all things good including healing.

    1 year ago
  15. Laura

    Gratefulness opens me to the uplifting and beautiful in any given moment, even when I am hurting.

    1 year ago
    1. Carol

      Laura, Love the imagery behind your words…powerful

      1 year ago
      1. Laura

        Thank you, Carol.

        1 year ago
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