RE: Today I Feel "Gratitude Challenged...." (Full Version)

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artemis611 -> RE: Today I Feel "Gratitude Challenged...." (11/9/2007 7:53:37 PM)

Betty, your post reminded me of something a very wise grief counselor often says, "Everyone feels his/her pain one hundred percent."  We can't look at another's pain and say, for example, "My troubles are only half as bad as hers, so I should feel only half as upset (or hurt, or sad, or whatever)."  We all have to carry our burdens, which are subjective adn unique to each of us.  And if your week has been difficult for you, that's "goodenuff" [:D][:D][:D]HAAAAAAA!!!!!!!

Hugs,
Lori



Imenuff -> RE: Today I Feel "Gratitude Challenged...." (11/9/2007 11:43:29 PM)

Lori, Dear, I love it!!![:)]
quote:

And if your week has been difficult for you, that's "goodenuff" HAAAAAAA!!!!!!!
After making four different kinds of candy and getting the back yard leaves up and the lawn cut, you made me smile!!![:D][:D]

Blessings on this weekend and your coming retreat.



Imenuff -> RE: Today I Feel "Gratitude Challenged...." (11/9/2007 11:57:11 PM)

Dear Glenys, It sounds like you are going through one of those periods where all one can do is hang on by one's fingernails.[&o] [&o] Years ago while on a retreat, a Benedictine Abbot gave me the beginnings of a psalm that he used whenever those times came to him. I don't know the specific psalm but the mantra was, "Out of the depths I cry to you, Oh Lord." During those fingernail hanging times, it becomes my constant mantra along with "Sustain me, Lord." Know that much prayer will go your way that the Holy One sustain you during this difficult period. Often, in the midst of those "winter times" of life, it seems difficult to believe that there is any posibility of spring.

Hugs and much prayer. May your weekend be a bit of a respite. NAMASTE!



celtic star -> RE: Today I Feel "Gratitude Challenged...." (11/13/2007 7:07:16 PM)

Hi Betty, life is strange or maybe not. This weekend and the past two days have been taken up praying for my uncle who developed a serious pneumonia. We were called in by the doctor on Sunday as he was deteriorating rapidly but thankfully he seems to be rallying round and showing signs of improvement. We are blessed, enough said. Namste Glenys x



Imenuff -> RE: Today I Feel "Gratitude Challenged...." (11/13/2007 10:36:54 PM)

Namaste Glenys, Dear, as the saying goes, "it never rains but that it pours." There is a candle on my kitchen table that burns constantly. You and your uncle will be tucked into it's constant prayer. May you both be sustained by the Holy One in the most gentle and tender of ways. Although some times it doesn't feel like it will ever happen, Spring always follows winter both in nature and in our lives. May you sense the Holy One's presence beside you sharing your winter and leading you into springtime.

Hugs and prayers,



celtic star -> RE: Today I Feel "Gratitude Challenged...." (11/16/2007 3:25:50 PM)

Hi Betty thank you for your supportive thoughts and words. My uncle passed away last night, leaving quietly and peacefully. He was a gentle spirit, who did no harm, spoke only kind words and whome we will remember always with joy. Namste Glenys x



Imenuff -> RE: Today I Feel "Gratitude Challenged...." (11/17/2007 9:56:55 AM)

Glenys, Dear, I am so sorry to hear that your uncle died last night. His death sounds like it was a real gift to him who was such a gentle spirit.
quote:

leaving quietly and peacefully.
I hear the sadness in your post, yet the tremendous respect and gratitude for the gift that he was to your life. Deaths are never easy, but seem even more difficult at this time of the year. Know that the Holy One whose own Dear Son died shares your pain and tears of sadness. I pray that the gentle spirit who is your uncle help you through the difficult time ahead. Know that he is closer to you now than his physical presence could ever be. What a very special comment on his life--
quote:

whom we will remember always with joy.
.

NAMASTE, Dear One! You are in my heart and in my prayers.



Imenuff -> RE: Today I Feel "Gratitude Challenged...." (11/22/2007 2:21:24 PM)

Today, I feel a real sadness for a family in our parish. The Mom and her 5 children attended their fathers'/husband's funeral yesterday. (He was only 42). I pray for all those who are spending this major U.S. holiday in illness, loneliness, grief, poverty and sadness. May the Holy One touch each of their lives with the gentleness of Healing Love.



buttington -> RE: Today I Feel "Gratitude Challenged...." (11/23/2007 2:12:29 PM)

At the risk of sounding 'poor me', at this moment I feel gratitude challenged because the freezer door belonging to our 3 year old fridge/freezer has just fallen off due to rust. Grrrrrrrrr!! Not good enough[>:]

It's a conspiracy to keep me from having my much waited for new amplifier for my Hi-Fi. Not fair[:(]

Never mind......as Solomon would say...it could be worse. At least I and mine are all well.[:)]  Jude



Solomon -> RE: Today I Feel "Gratitude Challenged...." (11/23/2007 6:38:54 PM)

"Problems are chances for you to try your best." I don't recall who said it. [:)]



buttington -> RE: Today I Feel "Gratitude Challenged...." (11/24/2007 7:18:25 AM)

Solomon, there are several versions of this quote, but yours really appeals to me.[:)]

I'm certainly being 'tried' lately, but it is an opportunity for me to find the best way round my problems. Not least how to resist throttling someone from the manufacturers of the fridge-freezer.[:D][:D]   Jude



Solomon -> RE: Today I Feel "Gratitude Challenged...." (11/24/2007 7:55:26 AM)

What good things can you take from this situation? For example, you know now never to buy another freezer from this manufacturer. You now have a good reason to defrost it. If you wrote a letter to the manufacturers, you might get some kind of compensation. Etc. [:)]



buttington -> RE: Today I Feel "Gratitude Challenged...." (11/24/2007 1:21:10 PM)

Yes, definitely. Other things which come to mind are patience (I'm learning[:D] ) assertiveness (also learning[:D] ) and going with the flow. (hardest of all.[:D][:D] )

One thing I've learned about being on the spiritual path is that you think you've 'sussed it' in one area maybe,and life throws another brick-bat in your path to test you further. Once on, the path is hard work.[;)] Also, once on you can never go back.
Not sure if that's a good or bad thing.[:D][:D][:D][:D]

Jude



Solomon -> RE: Today I Feel "Gratitude Challenged...." (11/24/2007 5:26:42 PM)

Think of the destination. Forget the path. [:D]



buttington -> RE: Today I Feel "Gratitude Challenged...." (11/24/2007 5:52:13 PM)

[:D][:D][:D]Mmmmmmmmmmmm?!!![:D][:D][:D]

That's great until it comes up and kicks dirt in your eye.!!

Actually I'm not disagreeing with you here, but I do think the path is important too. It is important how you get to your destination......isn't it?   Jude



Solomon -> RE: Today I Feel "Gratitude Challenged...." (11/24/2007 6:11:51 PM)

Yeah, but it's easy, I think, to get caught up in the path, and forget why you're on it. I see the "destination" as being "spiritual enlightenment", and the path as being daily life. I could very easily get so caught up in daily life, especially when I'm having a bad day, that I forget about the destination, and just sit on the path, and stop moving. Perhaps I'm like the donkey with a carrot dangled in front of it? I find the walk much more enjoyable when I know I'm not clambering over stones, etc, for no reason.

I hope that makes sense. [:D]



Hildegard -> RE: Today I Feel "Gratitude Challenged...." (11/24/2007 10:31:29 PM)

This week the postal service has been challenging my gratitude. The first three days of the week the mail arrived between 6 and 8 PM. Yesterday it wasn't delivered at all, and today it was deposited outside my door at 9:10 PM!! I am grateful it arrived at all, but I must admit that my serenity had been ruffled! I do feel sorry for the substitude mail carriers who are out that late presumably because they are not familiar with the route!

Edda



buttington -> RE: Today I Feel "Gratitude Challenged...." (11/25/2007 6:25:39 AM)

 Solomon, that makes perfect sense! I think, the first time I experienced any sort of 'enlightenment' I thought lfe would be easier from then on, and that's where I made my mistake. We are being challenged to reach ever higher and never to rest on our laurels, so to speak. When we've got over one hurdle, and learned whatever we needed to learn, then we are given a fresh one. That makes perfect sense to me, but, depending on what we need to learn, life often seems to get harder and harder[:o] Hence, I wonder if I make it harder for myself by fighting back sometimes. (no often[:D] in fact nearly always)

But I do really agree with you that the goal should always be kept in view. I seem to be able to help others in this respect, much easier than myself.[:D]

I think things like this forum help us all to keep the goal in view. Thanks Solomon. Hope you are having a good weekend with Wenna & the new job is great.  Jude



buttington -> RE: Today I Feel "Gratitude Challenged...." (11/25/2007 6:32:18 AM)

Edda, I can sympathize with you over the postal service. Here in Britain we've recently had some problems of a similar kind, although we don't, as yet, have any substitute postmen/women for such occasions. I'm half expecting another disruption in time for the Christmas post.

We are so used to things happening in certain ways and at certain times, and having the convenience of services, that we are easily thrown when they are changed or withdrawn. Such is modern life.[:)][:D] I hope things get back to normal soon for you,   Love Jude



Imenuff -> RE: Today I Feel "Gratitude Challenged...." (11/25/2007 6:39:08 AM)

Edda I think there is a new “virus” going through the Postal system lately. It is called the “Better Late Than Never” virus.[:'(][&:] Our postal system has been experiencing SEVERE[:'(][:'(] [:'(]cases of it for the past several months! It has been so severe here that I now look for the previous day’s mail the next morning before I leave for early Mass. Amazingly, most times by then, the mail has reached it’s destination in spite of the new virus.[:)]

Jude and Solomon, When I read your posts, I thought of the Greek Mythology story of Pandora. Zeus gives Pandora to Epimethius as a beautiful bride, but he also gives Epimethius a box that he must take if he takes Pandora but the box is not to be opened. Yet, if Epimethius chooses Pandora, he must choose the box, too, without knowing the full implications of his choice. By desiring Pandora, he desires ALL that she brings. The Box gets opened--the experience of good and evil were inseparable. Desire brings us into a world where death and pleasure enter our homes together, even if it is desire for spiritual growth, or perhaps even more then since desire for spiritual growth involves the death of our old ways. [:(] Jude, I agree with you, the journey is extremely important and that may be based on a difference in spiritual experience. It may depend on whether we look on the Holy One as transcendent or immanent, i.e., the other worldly distant and invisible Holy One/Place that is our end goal, or the Holy One that is present and working within us and within the visible world of our experience and is in everything. If I believe that the Holy One is immanent all those daily “bad” experiences are real places where I can meet the Holy One and surrender all those feelings about the experiences that I have not handled well, and allow those experiences to question me about where continued growth or continued healing of past experiences is necessary.

Yes, it all sounds good but I, personally,am such a long way from spontaneously responding to what I see as “bad/difficult/frustrating” with the same openness and surrender that I respond to “good/pleasant/joyfilled.” The “bad,etc., too readily brings me into direct contact with my own personal Pandora’s box, the need for growth, healing, etc., and the evil within.



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