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Aug, 2012
August Newsletter — Aug 21, 2012
Imagine an ad that promises all this about a product: It promotes happiness, boosts self-esteem, draws you closer to others, and brings you prolonged enjoyment of everything good in your life. You would probably think, “Bah! Marketing. Nothing can do all that.”
But research shows that these are exactly the benefits we can expect from expressing gratitude. And we could add to the list: Gratitude helps you cope with stress, spares you from comparing yourself unhappily to others, and helps inhibit bitterness and greed. So why don’t we all avidly flock to the practice of gratefulness? Angeles Arrien suspects that “the accelerated pace and multiple distractions of modern life have simply made it all too easy to forget gratitude’s importance”:
www.gratefulness.org/readings/arrien_gratitude1.htm
She reminds us that “we need not settle for our present disconnection from the healing, life-affirming, and uplifting human experience of gratitude.” One strong way to reinforce the life-giving skills of gratitude is through “Engaging Hope,” a four-week e-course that begins September 10th. Learn more and sign up here:
www.spiritualityandpractice.com/ecourses/ecourses.php?i...
You are more than welcome to register whether or not you took the previous e-courses in this series, “Awakening to Gratefulness” and “Trusting in Life.” You will find that it stands well on its own and can be helpful even if you have only a few minutes a day to spare.
With life’s fast pace in mind, Dr. Brenda Wade -- author, clinical psychologist, and board member of A Network for Grateful Living -- composed “Moments of Gratefulness” for Healing Quest, the weekly television series that airs on PBS stations across the US:
www.gratefulness.org/a/inthenews/index.htm
www.facebook.com/HealingQuest
healingquest.tv
Each short reflection gives you a gratefulness practice to try and describes its array of benefits.
But what if you are blessed with a little more leisure time and want to dive in deeper? Then you will find much to ponder in Br. David’s spiritual biography, filmed by our friends at Commonweal:
www.gratefulness.org/brotherdavid/video.htm
We want to close with a note of hope: “Light a Candle” recently passed the milestone of 14 million candles lit!
www.gratefulness.org/candles/enter.cfm?l=eng
Thank you for creating a grateful community of light that touches every nation and countless hearts.
Peace to you,
Patricia and Margaret
for our Gratefulness Team