How do people make "a different kind of holiday"?  Did the fall of the Berlin Wall "just happen" to be peaceful?  Can theater help defeat fundamentalism?  Explore November's Gratefulnews....

"In the Press":  Br. David Steindl-Rast's contemplative videos and April 2010 plenary presentation for "Gratefulness: The Heart of Spiritual Care."

At this season, "may we gracefully rise to the occasion of our own falling," writes Br. David in this Thanksgiving Song.

Share your gratitude by sending a Thanksgiving ecard.

Please give generously to our Thanksgiving Fundraising Campaign, and don't miss the special online tributes left by people like you who support our work.

Imagine giving thanks for four solid days!

Our Sister Site, Spirituality and Practice, is offering two new 40-day e-courses based on the writings of Joyce Rupp and Thich Nhat Hanh.

Need a lift?  Check out October's Gratefulnews:  a hunger to learn; a unique approach to theft; a leaping wolf; a zero-waste strategy; and a son repeating his father's heroism.

The approach of Halloween – a holiday recognized by many cultures as a holy day and a remarkable "thinning" between worlds – evokes both playful and serious feelings.

Choose from many Halloween and other seasonal ecards as well as our wider selection.

Mary Lou Worster Anderson asked for "a used computer airlifted into my apartment by a giant stork," and look what happened.

The world overflows with creative intentions that become beneficial actions.  Our October newsletter gives you some examples.

One woman's quest for peace, recorded on video, takes her around the world bringing peace and understanding through the arts.  (Scroll down to "Links" on this page.)

Flood-relief efforts in the Philippines, the eco-rebuilding of Greensburg, great hardship turned into kinship, and both trash and treasure make up this month's Gratefulnews.

Our Simple Living resources now include a video by Joanna Macy about Gratitude as a Revolutionary Act.  (Scroll down to "Offsite Links.")

  A perennial dilemma:  How can anyone *say* how to get beyond language?

Ani Pema Chödrön brings practical compassion into focus through her sparkling example and writings.

Our seasonal ecards include blessings for Rosh Hashanah (Jewish New Year) and the autumn and spring equinox.

Ever feel like your gratefulness engine is sputtering?

Join us for Living the Hours, a six-week online retreat marking nuances of dawn, day, dusk, and dark with prayer.  

September's newsletter offers a glimpse of our unity of spirit as a worldwide community practicing grateful living.

A Network for Grateful Living is on Facebook...become a fan!

Gratefulnews goes from far reaches of the Milky Way to a single molecule's stunning image.

Send an ecard blessing for the month-long Islamic observance of Ramadan.

This documentary film introduces you to the life of Br. David Steindl-Rast through interview footage and rare archival photos.

Did you know that we offer volunteer opportunities?

Thank you for your lighting the world with your candles, now well over 8,000,000!

Refresh your spirits with our August newsletter.

 "Love in action is a harsh and dreadful thing compared to love in dreams."  Can you name the source of this memorable quote?  If so, you will know this month's Gift Person.

If it is hard to imagine benefiting from jellyfish, sledding down barn-size drifts of dust, or "daylighting" a stream, read about this and more in Gratefulnews.

It is a blessing when someone can help you feel your own way through what only your heart can process.  Paul Bennett's Loving Grief and Elaine Mansfield's reflections offer this blessing.

Joyce Holmes McAllister's poem reminds us that in tough times, our ancestors' voices – and the memory of their actions, speaking louder than words – bring us wisdom.

Isn't the practice of grateful living about shifting our respective and ultimately our collective worldviews and then our world visions? 

In the "almost limitless number of good companions found along the way," a few stand out, and Thomas Berry was one of them.

What do a writer in Kyoto, gardens in Russia, a Muslim feminist in West Virginia, a promise in the Maldives, and Wynton Marsalis on the hardcourt have in common?  Gratefulnews!

Every human being can experience true belonging, Br. David affirms in this interview on the "Way of Love."

Blessed Mother Teresa – esteemed not only for her service to the unwanted, the homeless, and the dying but also for her perseverance amidst inner torment – is this month's Gift Person.

You benefit from a fabulous four-billion-year-old legacy bequeathed by the earth.  How does a grateful response to this gift look?  Explore Caring for the Earth and the new "Home Project" video (scroll down to "Links").

 Br. David writes about a vision for the future.

June's newsletter looks at one of the paradoxes of gratefulness:  It comes to us as pure gift and even so it must be cultivated.

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 Solstice and Graduation!) ecards. 

This month's Gratefulnews celebrates the people working to restore Earth's well-being through art, creative housing initiatives, education, poetry, shared gardens, and much more.

Honor your favorite graduate with an e-card. 

Br. David Steindl-Rast and Fr. Cyprian Consiglio will offer a retreat – "Spirit, Soul, Mind and Body: The Universal Call to Contemplation" – in Boulder, CO, June 27-28, 2009. 

"Practicing Spirituality with Quakers," a 40-day e-course that starts June 1st, looks at how to live simply and create a more just world (scroll down to "Links").

Explore the dimensions of grateful living through this new audio download of radio host Michael Stone in conversation with Br. David Steindl-Rast.

Have you ever felt so stressed out that conjuring feelings of gratitude seemed ridiculous, perhaps even a little infuriating?  Michele Wahlder writes about common obstacles to gratefulness.

Richard Schiffman's study in perspective, "Watching the Birdwatcher," captures the space between moments by the reverse feat of not trying to grasp it. 

Br. David talks about peak experiences and more on this new video clip from "The Monk and the Rabbi."

Br. David's May-June Australia tour includes Brisbane, Rockhampton, Mackay, Maitland/Newcastle, Sydney, Adelaide, Alice Springs, and Perth.

May's newsletter gives us an opportunity once again to thank you for your generous support as we bring practices of grateful living to people around the world.

This month's Gratefulnews comes in all varieties: a lost Aboriginal language revived, music notation made accessible, friendship enhancing health, and hardhats going green.

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.

Maria DeCarvalho writes about a fortune cookie and a "secret decoder ring" that revealed its hidden truth.

Please let your friends in far-away places know that A Good Day can now be viewed with multilingual captions (click up-arrow on video screen). 

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

What does it take to entrust ourselves to a "fundamental sense of belonging to the universe"?

April's newsletter observes that we never know where a day may lead us.

"When we accept the pain and intensity that comes to us, what could have been unbearable opens us into new dimensions," write Felicia Norton and Charles Smith in this second excerpt from An Emerald Earth.

Light a Candle for the people of the earthquake-ravaged Abruzzo region of Italy.

Isn't a love that "none can part" what we long for most?  How rare to be given – through this poem by George Herbert – the words to articulate it and the strength that makes it possible.

Send joy to your loved ones with Passover and Easter e-cards. For your convenience, you can schedule cards in advance.

When we urgently need to be called back to the foundation of our life, our dreams often help.

The things we tend to overlook can be our greatest sources of treasure, as this month's Gratefulnews shows.

Thanks to generously donated artwork by Carol Giantonio, we now have in our Gift Shop a dynamic, 160-page gratitude journal awaiting your creative inspiration.

We need not only a new ethic for developed nations; we need an ethic that can be shared by traditional cultures. 

Did you ever think of "salvation" as meaning "healing"?  It derives from the same root as "salve", writes Br. David.

Our March newsletter asks where we will find the strength for the "stride of soul" life requires.

Now and then we get asked for a little history of our work.

Nov 20,  Remembrance Day for Meister Eckhart (1260-1328) — German mystic, theologian, and Dominican prior whose writings – condemned as “heretical” by the church of his day -- still profoundly influence us. “If the only prayer you ever say in your entire life is thank you,” he noted, “it will be enough.” more »

Nov 22,  Birthday of (Edward) Benjamin Britten (1913-1976) — British composer of operas, songs, and major orchestral works. His pacifism as eloquently expressed through his War Requiem gives rise to our gratefulness for his vision of a peaceful world.

Nov 22,  Feast Day of St. Cecilia — Patroness of church music and musicians, whose feast celebration dates to the 4th century. Depicted with an organ, St. Cecilia has inspired musical tributes by Purcell (“Hail, Bright Cecilia”) and Handel (“Ode on St. Cecilia Day”). more »

Nov 23,  Birthday of André Caplet (1878 - 1925) — Conductor, composer, and close collaborator with Debussy. Caplet won the Prix de Rome in 1901. His most ambitious work was Le Miroir de Jésus, a lengthy setting of fifteen poems by Henri Gheon meditating on the mysteries of the rosary.

Nov 24,  Birthday of Carlo (Lorenzini) Collodi (1826-1890) — Born in the medieval village of Collodi in Tuscany, Italy, the author of The Adventures of Pinocchio used his birthplace for a pseudonym when he published his classic morality tale as a serial in a periodical in 1883. It continues to delight readers. more »

Nov 25,  Birthday of Andrew Carnegie (1835-1919) — Industrialist, philanthropist, and benefactor whose contributions to education, the arts, public libraries, and world peace inspire our gratefulness.

Nov 25 - Nov 28,  Hajj - Pilgrimage to Mecca — Five Pillars of Islam describes the duty of a Muslim to "make a pilgrimage to Mecca at least once in a lifetime". The Hajj observance – comprised of ceremonies in remembrance of Koran promises - attracts as many as two million pilgrims annually.

Nov 26,  Death day of Sojourner Truth (1797-1883) — Born in upstate New York, Isabella Baumfree, later known as Sojourner Truth, was a trailblazer in the abolitionist and suffragist movements, becoming a major figure in African-American history. more »

Nov 26,  Birthday of Charles M. Schulz (1922-2000) — Graphic artist, cartoonist, creator of "Peanuts" comic strip, winner of two Peabody Awards and four Emmys. His gift of presenting life's questions and issues with gentle humor brings readers to deeper self-understanding.

Nov 26,  Thanksgiving Day — Today we celebrate life as a gift we share; we give thanks for the generosity of Mother Earth and for all opportunities to make peace within ourselves and in the world. Happy Thanksgiving, and happy fourth anniversary of your Gratefulness website! more »

Nov 27 - Nov 30,  Eid al-Adha — This Muslim observance of "The Feast of Sacrifice" commemorates Abraham's response to the Lord's command: offering for sacrifice his son Ishmael (in Jewish and Christian texts, the son was Isaac). more »

Thank you for this space for Peace, Awareness and Gratitude. Blessed be each and every one who enters.  — visitor

it gives me a hope for my better future.  — rimma, russia

Thanks for being here for just the little boost we all need sometimes to get through the day!! You are a BLESSING for MANY! I share your site address with my friends whenever I can.. carry on!! peace  — kimi k, Pinellas park, FL

Thank You so much for this web-site. It does bring peace and blessings to our lives. Many Thanks!  — Brother Martin Zatsick,TOR, USA/South Dakota

A special site to share a special moment from deep within the heart.  — Laurie Koch Lapointe, Hamilton, Ont. Can.

You have done a wonderful job on capturing the peacefulness of a labyrinth. I thank you for the guided tour and hope I can visit again soon.  — pja, Southern Vermont

How beautiful this site is allowing one to escape from the noise of the world around. Allowing peace to enter into our hearts. Many many thanks to those who put it together.  — MWB, Scotland

Thank you for the beauty and the words which are so fitting; each time a joy!  — Naureen Craig, Durban South Africa

A place of rest A place of insight A journey of joy each time.  — KMER, Brisbane Australia

The beautiful wonders of an engaged world are always there waiting patiently for discovery or remembrance!  — TG, Madison, WI

When I visit I feel at Peace with the World. Long may this site continue.  — JPDC, Sheffield, UK

conhecer este site foi inspirador. um tempo para meditar, sonhar, solicitar, agradecer a deus seus inúmeros milagres na minha vida (i know this site was inspired. a time to meditate, to dream, to pray, to thank to god for the innumerable miracles in my life)  — maria catarina, brasil

Its amazing the way you get in touch with people of many places in the world, looking for peace, love and serenity. Thank You for your lovely idea to transmit the beautifull mesages.  — Ana Maria, Puerto Rico

The words shared here are helping me to learn and grow. We are brothers and sisters brought together for many reasons...May we all find blessing each and everyday.  — Sherrie, Florida / USA

This is a wonderful site - full of wonder and inspiration and support. Blessings.  — Br Graham-Michael, Aotearoa New Zealand

Awesome site. Something everyone can relate to, whatever their beliefs are. Just genius!!  — PCP, USA

Thank you for this site. It is a place where we can come to pray and light our sorrows, and I wish our happyness and gratitute someday too.  — Carmen, Montevideo, Uruguay

This site has allowed many moments of quiet and calm re-centering for me. I tell everyone about this site, and send lots of uplifting e-cards from here.  — Kristin, Virginia

This is a peaceful, warm site for those who care, who suffer, look on in the distance, caregivers. May peace be with you all.  — LGT, New Hampshire

Grazie per aver illuminato internet (Thank you for illuminating the internet).  — Manuela, Milano, Italy