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February Newsletter — Feb 9, 2009
Last week we passed the milestone of 16,000 subscribers to Word for the Day, a feature which helps people tune into gratefulness daily through an inspired quote. So we paid special attention to the entries this week, and Sunday’s stood out. Nkosi Johnson, a Zulu boy who inspired millions of people to fight the AIDS epidemic and who posthumously received the International Children's Peace Prize, summed up his philosophy of life when he said to ABC newsman Jim Wooten, “Do all you can with what you have, in the time you have, in the place you are.”
Nkosi lived only a short, full twelve years. As his words make abundantly clear, being in an urgent situation focuses your attention. Many of us feel this acutely and personally at the moment as we or our loved ones face the loss of jobs, homes, savings, or as we struggle with serious health problems. But catastrophe isn’t required for keen awareness. At any moment we can tune into the astounding fact that this universe “wouldn’t be missed if it didn’t exist,” as poet Piet Hein puts it, and that each of our lives is pure gift. How can we respond to that gift except, as Nkosi says, by doing all we can, right where we are?
If you are looking for practical ways to practice gratefulness in everyday life – and it does take practice! – you can sign up for a teleseminar with Brother David Steindl-Rast on “Pathways to Gratefulness.” Click here to learn more:
http://www.gratefulness.org/a/teleseminar_09.htm
You can learn more about Br. David’s 2009 events, including one in Berkeley, California coming up on February 18th, on the “Events” section of his homepage:
http://www.gratefulness.org/brotherdavid/index.htm
You can also, as always, connect with “a chain of love and friendship running through the hatred and disenfranchisement of the world” – as Maria from Portugal eloquently wrote – right here on Gratefulness.org. This month, Amy Uyematsu's poem, "Tea," honors Buddhist monk and peacemaker Thich Nhat Hanh, whose life is the essence of gratefulness:
http://www.gratefulness.org/poetry/tea_uyematsu.htm
…and speaking of love, you can find an array of ways to let your loved ones know you’re thinking of them on Valentine’s Day. Free of charge, you can send a Valentine’s card:
http://www.gratefulness.org/ecards/show.cfm?ec=SE
Or light a candle for someone:
http://www.gratefulness.org/candles/enter.cfm?l=eng
Or use our Tell-A-Friend feature to send a love poem:
http://www.gratefulness.org/readings/elemental_levine.htm
And please consider showing your gratefulness for the person you love the most by making a donation in his or her honor:
http://www.gratefulness.org/a/support/donate.htm
Taking any small step towards love and gratefulness allows you to start blazing a trail in that direction. Others can follow you, and your own path becomes increasingly clear and beneficial to all, yourself included. As Nkosi Johnson’s short life showed, you don’t need to have favorable circumstances or even a long span of years to live well. You simply need a heart devoted to compassion, tolerance, and, naturally, gratefulness.
With love,
Patricia and Margaret
on behalf of our ANG*L Webteam
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