The Sahara?  California?  Costa Rica?  Your own backyard?  Wherever you want to go in the world, you are likely to find gratefulness there.

Sister Michaela Terrio's response to a question about self-sacrifice in the Catholic tradition offers insight which anyone, from any background, can appreciate.

 "How can we truly be with dying, this invisible road of initiation that will open for all of us?" asks Roshi Joan Halifax in this second excerpt from her new book.

Our August newsletter gives you a framework for soul-searching about the obvious and hidden changes in your life.

The sound on Angels of the Hours is now updated to Flash/mp3 format.  Now more people can enjoy the European bells and monastic chants accompanying this feature.

If eating a tomato sandwich can teach us to live in the here and now, to savor the immediate experience, with thanksgiving, then that experience can connect us with divine grace.

Check out our Religious Harmony topic to find a new e-course about the teachings of His Holiness the Dalai Lama (scroll down to "Links").

What does it take to sustain a community?  This month's Gratefulnews looks at this question from multiple perspectives.

"What rituals do we have in our culture that denote and legitimize our transformative passages?" asks Joan Halifax in Part 1 of a two-part excerpt from her new book, Being with Dying.

Our September retreat in Switzerland, long wait-listed due to its popularity, now has a few spaces open.  Please let us know if you would like to come!  You may also be interested in a new opportunity with Br. David in the Sahara.

Did you know that we offer a myriad of resources for starting your own local group on grateful living practice?  Visit our Groups page to learn how!

This powerful pledge fosters the attitudes necessary to bring about a world at peace.

Is it wiser to be visionary or practical?  We don't need to choose, according to M.C.Richards:  We can be both, "weightless and weighted."

July's edition of Gratefulnews is all about rescue.

Looking for an event near you?  Be sure to visit our newly updated page of workshops, retreats, and other adventures.  You will also find a range of ways to connect with kindred spirits through our Community portal.

Life's contradictions are often exactly what save us, allowing us to fly beyond limitations.  In "Jitterbug", poet Joyce McAllister plays contrasts off each other:  brittleness and speed, refusal and abandon, limping and flight.

"Every moment we have more than enough—if we are open to receive," writes Gunilla Norris.   

Did you ever consider that "by simply making a little space inside of nowhere, we can transform it into NOW HERE"?  This and other insightful word plays await you in these X-Z keywords. 

What do we do when we have loads that we can’t imagine carrying for another step?  June's newsletter offers perspective.

This banner by Claire Prucher Epperly and poem by Stephen Levine both capture a "terrible delight."

In Grateful News:  Marveling at what remains, coexisting without losing our uniqueness, older brains growing wiser,  and a disarmingly honest approach to poverty reduction. 

Celebrate the Solstice (Friday, June 20th) by sending seasonal ecards to friends and family.

The flyer for Br. David and Chungliang Al Huang's evening lecture in Zuerich is now available.  There is a wait list for the preceding weekend retreat at Mattli, which filled rapidly.

"To fully enter into the movement of Reality":  This goal for which many of us long can become surprisingly approachable in the face of terminal illness, as Jessie Dolch's poem shows.

Pathways to experience the Divine, grace as cosmic wisdom flowing between thoughts:  Br. David touches upon these topics and more in video clips from the 2007 Greek Isles trip.

Alice Walker writes, "It no longer bothers me that I may be constantly searching for father figures; by this time, I have found several and dearly enjoyed knowing them all."  Enjoy our Father's Day (and Graduation!) ecards. 

Our May newsletter looks at what to do when life doesn't turn out as you expected.

Enjoy magical performances by Jane Hirshfield, Coleman Barks, Drew Dellinger, Roger Housden, Annette Cantor and more, through free video clips of the Poetry of Gratefulness event and an opportunity to order the DVD or CD.

Who can measure the significance of an "ordinary" life?  Daria Donnelly's – as a mother, wife, and editor whose life was cut short by a fatal illness – was surely a gift, reminding us not to take each other for granted.

What can we do to ease the suffering that clings to our image of perfection?

Send a Mother's Day ecard to someone nurturing in your life or (in keeping with the day's origins) someone who works for peace.  If your mother has passed on, light a candle in her memory.

This month you can find Grateful News covering the gamut from a hopeful diplomatic shift to an intrepid role model, from malaria protection to a long-overdue reunion.

Send an Earth Day ecard, and gather fresh inspiration through the practice sessions and links in our Caring for the Earth and Simple Living topics.

"We can escape from absurdity by learning to listen to the word in everything we encounter," including these new keywords: way, wonderment, word, and work/play.

Bring new light to your gratefulness practice through the offerings in our April newsletter.

Gain courage from the thousands of organizations working to Light Up the World.  If you have one to recommend which is not yet on our map, please let us know.

"There is a mercy making its way/up through the ocean of the earth/to the shores of our feet," writes Stephen Levine.

Light a candle for Tibet and the universality of the Tibetan people's struggle (learn more).

Stop by our Caring for the Earth topic and check out what's new!   The resource links now include "12 Steps to Practical Problem Solving" by Paul Polak, an innovator in creative solutions to complicated social problems.

Jane Addams connected the dots between service to humanity and a strong pacifist stance, even when Teddy Roosevelt – whom she had considered a friend – denounced her as “the most dangerous woman in America.”

You can now view six video clips of Br. David's 2004 interview at the Synthesis Dialogues in Rome, including his thoughts about a life-preserving and healing Godview.

Our "At Home in the Body" topic has another new offering:  to neuro-anatomist Jill Bolte Taylor's powerful story of recovery and awareness after a stroke. (Scroll down to Links on this page.)

Equinox blessings to you!

In this month's Grateful News: a colorful Vietnamese pilgrimage; the work skills of blind professionals; help for writing thank-you notes; a courageous woman alleviating the pains of war; and how compost can protect against global warming.

Our sister site, Spirituality & Practice, is offering an e-course on "Practicing Spirituality During Illness," April 1-May 10, 2008. To learn more, visit our "At Home in the Body" topic and scroll down to "Links."

Visit our video section, which now includes an hour of teachings by Br. David and Joan Halifax Roshi on gratefulness, compassion fatigue, and letting change guide you; plus a short, inspiring video on peace.

"May you always walk in sunshine. May you never want for more."  And may you always find the perfect e-card for St. Patrick's Day, the turning seasons, and Easter.

Imagine needing only a spoon to get through life!

Join us in April for a retreat in West Virginia or come to Switzerland with us in September!

Thank you for brightening people's lives through more than five million candles lit since the beginning of our Light a Candle feature.

Listen to an interview on "Why Gratefulness Matters" with Linda Larsson and Dale Biron, board members of A Network for Grateful Living (ANG*L).

February's newsletter looks at some of the fascinating contradictory truths around us.

» click here for previous news

Sep 7,  National Grandparents Day — Honoring the wisdom and heritage of elders, this holiday originated with housewife Marian McQuade of Fayette County, West Virginia. President Jimmy Carter in 1978 proclaimed the first Sunday after Labor Day for its celebration. more »

Sep 1 - Oct 1,  Fast of Ramadan — Observed during the ninth month of the Moslem calendar. Followers of the religion of Islam believe that during Ramadan the Holy Quran (Koran) "was sent down from heaven” to bring us guidance, direction, and salvation. more »

Sep 8,  Nativity of Blessed Mary (W. Christian Churches) — The image of mother and child evokes a deep resonance in every human heart. more »

Sep 8,  International Literacy Day — Celebrated every September since 1965, when first designated by UNESCO. On this day our global community is encouraged to reflect with gratefulness on our own gift of literacy and to seek to bring this blessing to all. more »

Sep 9,  Birthday of Leo Tolstoy (1828 - 1910) — Russian author whose best-known novels are War and Peace and Anna Karenina. Tolstoy held as his ideal the Sermon on the Mount, with its themes of voluntary poverty and nonviolence towards enemies. more »

Sep 10,  Birthday of Jean Vanier (b. 1928) — Founder of worldwide L'Arche communities for developmentally challenged adults. The name "The Ark" after Noah's Ark signifies a new beginning and a shelter and home for the residents who live as a family with their helpers. more »

Sep 11,  9/11 Peace Prayer Day — Initiated by Families for Peaceful Tomorrows, family members of those who died on 9/11/2001. Inspired by words of M. L. King, "Wars are poor chisels for carving out peaceful tomorrows," the day focuses on "turning our grief into action for peace." more »

Sep 12,  Birthday of Jesse Owens (1913-1986) — First American in history of Olympic Track and Field to win four gold medals in a single Olympics (1936, Berlin). In 1976 he received the highest honor possible for a U.S. civilian: President Gerald Ford awarded him the Medal of Freedom. more »

Thank you for this great site. I've just found it and have only scratched the surface of what's here, but I like what I see so far. I really love having to go to a site that can remind me of what's important since I go online a lot.  — msv, Oakland, CA USA

May each person who enters here light a candle for all mankind. May we find brotherhood among our friends here and share it with others always. What is more beautiful than sharing peace!!!  — LGS, Los Angeles, CA

Vielen Dank für die Seite. Ich bin nun fast jeden Tag hier, es ist meine Kirche am PC. Sehr hilfreich und trostspendend. Ich finde die Idee zukunftweisend. Wir können eine ernsthafte spirituelle Vernetzung nur zu gut gebrauchen! (Thank you for this site. I am here nearly each day, it is my church at the PC. Very helpful and comforting. I find the idea very progressive. We can really use a serious spiritual site!)  — Inga, Deutschland

I am enchanted by the serenity and blessed by all who have been here before me and after…we are one with the universe and I thank you for this time well spent.  — GPL, Silverdale, Washington

Heartfelt thanks for providing this amazing forum....it allows people to speak from their hearts when words seem meaningless. Love & Light to you.  — Suzie Litton-Wood, Derbyshire, UK

Thank you for this wonderful site and all who visit here. This is my first visit --- but it certainly won't be my last! Peace - It's what I strive to attain on a daily basis. This site will certainly help me!  — Gail, Memphis, TN USA

Learned of this site during a contemplative retreat. What a blessing to come to this site and breathe... It is good to meet people in the virtual space who tread the same spiritual path. Thank you and God bless.  — Katrin, Switzerland

I love everything about your site! Thanks for giving me the chance to practice being "at peace" with life when life gets seems too hard.  — AD, USA

When I look on all this candles, I can feel I’m not alone.  — Kate Hudeir, Moscow, Russia

A visit here becomes a daily habit. The peace, joy, and feeling of safety is diffused throughout my day. I'm grateful.  — Laurie Rae, Massachusetts

I find such comfort and peace on this site and share it with so many people from all over the world - here we are never alone.  — Marianne H., Sydney Australia

This is a very calm port in the heavy storm of life.  — Bill McGlone, Connecticut, USA

The site is a delight. I am learning every day the deep truths of love, and oneness so beautifully expressed in your labyrinth. I hope that in my own way I am teaching and guiding many in the spirit your site so beautifully conveys.  — Mercedes Oestermann van Essen, United Kingdom

Thank you for helping me to remain mindful and aware, and for taking me to a quiet place where I can find my center.  — Brittany, Pennsylvania, USA

This is the site I return to again and again; it is truly sacred, truly prayerful, truly blessed.  — Teresa Mary, London, England

How beautiful it is this journey that offers much to us and my deepest gratitude for this experience...thank you for the opportunity to support this dream and heartfelt love to all that walk the path.  — jac, Australia

This is the site I return to again and again; it is truly sacred, truly prayerful, truly blessed.  — Teresa Mary, London, England

i like this site. Is very nice and my regular prayer is for everybody in the world.  — caterina, italia

A wonderful site. You could spend all day here. Thankfulness is at the heart of spirituality.  — David, Canvey Island Essex UK

i support this kind of positive generosity. Thank you for being creative and sharing your creative spirits with others.  — Denise, Punta Gorda Florida