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Using the Tools of Gratitude, Grace, and Love
Over the past few years, my New Year’s resolutions have become much more spiritual in nature. As I’ve journeyed deeper into my own spirituality, I’ve
come to view the world in a distinctive way: All events in my life lead me back to my spirituality and my connection with God. My spiritual resolutions are just daily reminders
that I am never alone on my path. I keep the list short and simple.
This coming year, I will remember my heart of God through:
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Gratitude,
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Grace,
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and Love.
Gratitude
Joyful events, like the birth of my son, have very clearly shown me that there are miracles of life everyday that are beyond the understanding of
science and logic. Holding a newborn child in my arms reminded me of the preciousness of life and my creative power in bringing forth another being into this world. I felt so
blessed by God, and gratitude has become a greater part of my daily vocabulary.
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I will guide you to affirming the blessings in your life in Thanksgiving. |
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Gratitude also helps me through painful events. During a recent night out at the movies with my husband, the babysitter frantically called us on the
cell phone. My four-year-old son had broken a glow stick, and the neon yellow substance had spilled all over his face, flowing into his eye. Immediately turning to my spirit
guides, I knew that I could call upon the same divine power that is always with me when I do my healing and release work. As my husband and I raced home, I looked past the fear of
the moment and tapped into the powerful abundance of God.
“God, your presence and power are here, right now in this moment,” I prayed out loud in the car as my husband drove quickly through the streets.
“I call upon your loving energy to create a loving outcome in this situation.”
As I breathed deeply, I suddenly had a confirming image that all was well with my son. We arrived home as paramedics were walking up our driveway. My
son, hair wet from the water my quick-thinking babysitter had used to flush his eye, was smiling, excited by a visit from the firefighters. All was well. Gratitude continues to
flow from my heart for the loving divine power that blesses my daily life.
Grace
On-going events, like dealing with issues from my childhood abuse experiences, nudge me to go deeper in my personal work of release and forgiveness. I
am convinced that all life review work should be done on a spiritual level for real change to occur. Grace is the grease of change, allowing the seemingly impossible to become
possible. We all have pain in our lives that seems impossible to heal. I have wrestled with the behaviors and fears I developed as an outcome of being sexually abused by my
grandfather.
I also have had great difficulty in coming to a place of peace in my relationship with my mother, and I know that a part of the problem is my striking
resemblance to a doormat: “Welcome, walk all over me” is plastered across my chest. My old response to my mother is to carry her burdens, taking responsibility for issues that
are not my own.
Grace came into my life this past year, giving me the courage to be honest with my mother, rather than holding out my arms to carry her load. I have
been able to take a step back when she shares her problems, empathize with her, and then allow her to continue in her experience. Through grace, I’m learning that I am not
helping myself or others by trying to make things okay for them. We each are here on Earth to have the experience of life, from the fullness of joy to the depths of pain. I have my
own journey, as does my mother. Grace allows me to be just a part of her journey, not the cart of her journey.
Love
Healing comes from remembering your heart of love. When you can feel love for others and yourself, you can come to closure in an experience.
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Use gratitude, grace, and love as daily reminders of your connection with God and others around you. Finish the following sentences:
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My son, Tristan, is learning how to make friends. A little boy at Tristan’s preschool came to class angry one day because his older brother told him
that he needed to make new friends, and unfortunately, that did not include Tristan. Tristan tried to hug the boy and tell him that he loved him, but the boy became angrier and
knocked Tristan down. The teacher and I spoke to both boys when I arrived to pick Tristan up. The boy felt confused by what his brother had said about making friends, and Tristan
felt hurt, afraid that the boy didn’t love him. The boy said he was sorry and Tristan said that he forgave him. We decided that tomorrow was a new day, and they would start fresh
again as friends.
But later in the afternoon when we got home from preschool, Tristan felt angry. He blew his horn loudly, only laughing when we covered our ears and
shivered. The next day Tristan felt worried that the boy would not be his friend. Before Tristan went to preschool, we talked about coming from the heart: living from the center of
your being and acting upon what’s true in your heart. Tristan said he still loved his friend, and he would be the boy’s friend that day.
A child’s experience is not so different from the events an adult encounters every day. Remember your ability to focus on the healing presence of
love in all situations.
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