With the recent horrific event in Haiti, it can be difficult to find something to be grateful for. It seems so random. It seems so cruel that people who are already suffering so much from poverty and other natural disasters, should have to suffer this too. It makes us all so sad.
First, what I believe to be true is that no one goes before his or her time. When the agreed upon time is up, it’s then time to move on to the next experience the soul has asked for. Now that doesn’t make it any easier for the loved ones left behind, I know. But, I also believe that there are lessons to be learned, soul growth to accelerate, and blessings to be found in everything. Again, not easy, but with loving support from others, lives are mended and some people have found real blessings in tragedy.
And, here’s something very real to be grateful for…this kind of event opens all our hearts and awakens our compassion. We are given a huge wake up call to remember how connected we all are. “This could have been my family. That could have been me, ” We might say. Or, “There, but for the grace of God, go I.” We are all connected in this one world community. A mother on Twitter yesterday said that the son she was in the process of adopting was there in Haiti. The world is getting smaller and we are seeing more and more how connected we really are. This is a good thing. It’s something that could save us as a planet. It’s something to be deeply, truly grateful for.
And, this love and compassion we are feeling moves some to give of their money and resources to help relief efforts. It moves some to go there and help out physically. It moves a lot of us to send our prayers. it’s all good. It’s all needed. And I am grateful for it.
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Gratitudes from yesterday,
I am grateful for the opportunity to run in the forest with my dog, taking new trails and trusting Divine Intelligence to lead me back safely.
I am grateful for remembering (from oh, so long ago) how to figure out equivalent fractions, so I can help my children with their homework.
I am grateful for the love and compassion of so many people and how the awakening of this energy lifts us all.
I am grateful for the hard work of people who are finishing up our attic.
I am grateful my family is safe and healthy.
Every since my son was little I always said,”something good always comes out of something bad”. I stayed away from the idea that there is always a lesson learned because that didn’t sound as magical as the transformation of,”bad” into,”good”.
To myself I always repeated (during crisis), look for the lesson. It as always there. Sometimes it wasn’t so obvious at first. But when I stepped back and gained perspective it all became clear. My son delighted in this idea. When things went awry, he would look to me for answers. It was like a game a show ( me the good) and tell (me what’s going to come of this) for him. That little boy is a 16 going on 40, sometimes surly, and somewhat sarcastic teenager.He brought up something that had occurred that day and my old adage popped out of my mouth. “Well if something good always comes out of something bad”, he replied,”then wouldn’t ( it stand to reason) that something bad always come out of something good?”. I was speechless as he went on about a scientific theory from his AP Chemistry and Physics classes. I struggled through regular chemistry in school. I thought about it over the next few days. So maybe he is right. It is all interconnected. What one perceives as,”bad”, has a positive result. And maybe that positive result proceeds an outcome that at first appears to be a negative, but lo and behold what you are actually witnessing is right action unfolding and so on…A cycle. So it all becomes something good.
I am grateful for my sometimes surly,somewhat sarcastic, VERY WISE teenage son
Thank you Donna for your insights here. I’m so grateful for the discussion that has begun here and all the wonderful input and ideas including yours. Ideas to bring into meditation.
Blessings!
Victoria
I am grateful to see so many people coming forth in helping with the relief efforts for the good people of Haiti. My good thoughts and prayers and with all.
Today I am grateful that I have the energy and time to tackle my big closet project!
Welcome to the Gratitude Experiment Martie! Thank you for your gratitudes. We look forward to reading more and rejoicing with you! Have fun!
I am grateful for violet flame to transmute all that is not for our highest good!
I am thankful for the awareness that many of us currently have to send love and light to the people in Haiti.
I am thankful for Reiki to send healing to the people of Haiti. Many Blessings
Thank you for your comments and healing energy. The wave of healing energy being directed toward Haiti is growing around the world! I am grateful for you!
After feeling some time of compassion for those in Haiti and thinking about how much money we could afford to send, I moved into thoughts about the possible cosmic meaning of this happening. I am in the process of writing a spiritual book and one of the chapters is on the Yin Yang, the opposites. This symbol has been transforming for me because it has helped me resolve all of the negatives in my life. Some of these experiences have had to do with death issues. I believe it is a truth that all have both negative and positive. An additional thought is that all just is, without the judgment of positive and negative since both are there. In addition, I have several non-physical advisors in my life and in this case they might offer the following. Since people decide when they want to die, what if the people who died wanted to reincarnate to a different age, and live in a different place. What if happenings such as this (calling them a disaster is a personal judgment), are the Universe’s way of bringing us humans closer together. Then too, because of this happening, each of us has the opportunity to increase the feeling of compassion in our lives for our brothers and sisters and to further our acknowledgment of thankfulness and gratitude.
Thanks so much for sharing your wonderful ideas here Pat. And welcome to The Gratitude Experiment! I’m grateful for the discussion thread going here and all the interesting ideas for each one to take into meditation and ask what is right for us.
I look forward to reading your daily gratitudes.
I am thankful for the love that I feel that enables me to extend and love others.
“Love the animals, love the plants, love everything.
If you love everything, you will perceive the divine
mystery in things. Once you perceive it, you will begin to
comprehend it better everyday. And you will come at
last to love the whole world with an all-embracing love.”
Fyodor Dostoyevsky
Novelist
Wow…Dostoyevsky, huh? I had no idea the man was so enlightened. Thanks so much for sharing it!