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Financial Insecurity - A Question Box answer by Patricia Carlson. In our lack we are thrown back on the only true security we have. A" Beggar's" Gift: A Low Budget Affair - Sister José Hobday talks about how even the lowliest among us have gifts to share. On Gratitude - Author Todd Aaron Jensen tells us how his life changed when he started counting what he had instead of what he didn't have. Gift Person: Peace Pilgrim shows us that simplicity can be a powerful road to peace. All That Is Glorious Around Us
by Barbara Crooker. Lightening the Load – a poem by Francis Dorff, O. Praem. Gratefulness helps us shed the unnecessary burdens that hamper our journey. The Monk in Us by Brother David Steindl-Rast. A child’s spontaneous play, our peak moments, and learning to let go: All these experiences can open us up to the truth. Prosperity by Patricia Carlson. This essay explores the great prosperity given to us even when things – economic or personal – fall apart. Gift Person: Dorothy Day lived a life of voluntary poverty to help “bring about the kind of society where it is easier to be good.” Twenty-Seven Things by Meredith Jordan. You can learn a lot about attachment and authenticity by paring down your life, twenty-seven items at a time. Gift Person: Saint Francis of Assisi who had a life-long love affair with “Lady Poverty.” The Value of Not Saving Time - A Question Box answer by Patricia Carlson. Saving time has become a bit of an idol that undercuts our human need to idle. Loaves and Fishes – a poem by David Whyte. Simple living is the art of discovering the abundance at your disposal. Pink Cactus a letter by Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette. Have you ever experienced gratefulness through the lens of a single flower? Dishwashing with Reverence: Ever wonder what gratefulness has to do with everyday chores? The Price of Wholeness - by Brother David Steindl-Rast. "Is there a wholeness that goes beyond the point where the Buddha enters Nirvana?" Noticing
When Your Thoughts Argue with Reality Running in the Rain, from the Rain, to the Rain James Behrens offers us a glimpse of fearlessness in the storms of life. Rabia Al-Adawiyya: Selected Readings Piecin'
a Quilt's Like Livin' a Life Digging
a Hole Big Enough to Sit In To live a simple life is a most attractive ideal,
yet in our affluent society it seems a daunting if not impossible task. Don't be intimidated; a simple life is really very easy — all you have to do is make "No thank you" one of your most frequently used expressions. - Edward Hays in A Book of Wonders |
 Links |
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Creative Houses from Reclaimed Stuff -- Builder Dan Phillips tours us through homes he's built in Texas using recycled and reclaimed materials in wildly creative ways. Brilliant, low-tech design details will refresh your own creative drive. (Video; 18 min.) All Is Well (free mp3; 10.9 MB) This simple phrase, rooted in the heart, is the foundation of dwelling in a spirit of sufficiency. Our thanks to singer and song-writer Karen Drucker for generously donating to our Gratefulenss community this track from her Songs of the Spirit 4 CD. Click here to visit her website. Cycling in the Netherlands in the 1950s - A collection of colorful images of the Dutch cycling in the 1950s. In villages, in cities, for work, for pleasure: the Dutch cycled all over their country in great numbers, even greater numbers than today. The Simplicity Institute: Are you living a long-term simpler life style? You can participate in this research survey and be part of some rigorous and innovative research which aims to map the road to a world of sustainable consumption. Mindfulness Bell - Would you like to have on your computer a reminder to be grateful in this present moment? A Modern Cinderella - This podcast by R.L. Abrahamson explores what can happen when you realize that the identity you have built is only "temporary glitter." Path to a Sustainable Future - An interview with David Orr on changing the culture of consumption. Gratitude as a Revolutionary Act - In this video (5:42), Joanna Macy heartfully explains how gratitude can bring you freedom from consumer society by countering the message that you are not good enough and do not have enough. When you recognize that you are sufficient, you can be free. Living the Hours - This e-retreat, available on demand, gives you an oppportunity to come into closer alignment with the natural rhythms of each day. The Dandelion King - Robert Wright notes that "the war on weeds, though not unwinnable, isn’t winnable at a morally acceptable cost" and reminds us of the pleasures of a lazier approach to our lawns. Grateful Mind, Happy Mind - In this six-minute video, the Venerable Thubten Chonyi looks - in a practical point of view - at how we live every single minute on the basis of the kindness of others. Current Opportunities - "How can you use this financial crisis/opportunity as an impetus to live the most meaningful life of any generation?" asks Lynne Twist in this thought-provoking piece. Also see this related video, "The Opportunity within the Economic Crisis." Finding My Religion - David Miller talks with Buddhist teacher, Cheri Huber, about how, no matter what our circumstances are, gratitude can flow from focusing on what we have. Why Eat Local? - For a fun, non-judgmental exploration of the benefits of eating food within a 100-mile radius of you, visit this site. A Problem of Riches - Chuck Collins, a senior scholar at the Institute for Policy Studies, looks at the critical changes our society needs which have been blocked by concentration of wealth. Pandora Radio - What a find! Create your own radio stations based on artists and music you love...all for free, courtesy of the Music Genome Project. The Great Boomer Bust - Katy Butler writes about a "zen luxuriousness" that can keep discontent from cheating us out of the rich lives we already have. De-Stress Kit for the Changing Times - Much care and compassion is needed to help ease the emotional pain that many people are increasingly experiencing. This helpful tool by HeartMath allows you to explore the sources of and solutions for stress in your life, with links to many free resources. Into Great Silence - Fred and Mary Ann Brussat review an extraordinary movie showing the lives of Carthusian monks in Grand Chartreuse near Grenoble, France: lives of utter simplicity and great fullness. Financial Integrity - Free resources to help you transform your relationship with money-whether your goal is to get out of debt, become financially independent or align your financial decisions with your personal values. The Hunger Site – Click here daily to offer a hungry person a cup of staple food. Vegetarian Society - Looking for help and support in going and staying vegetarian? Or simply want some delicious recipes that are kind to our Earth? Here's a wonderful resource. You may also want to read Thich Nhat Hanh's words on Eating for Peace. The Most Amazing Photos in the Universe - These extraordinary photos from the Hubble telescope really put daily life in perspective. The Story of Stuff - This 20-minute animated film explains in simple, powerful terms why our system of ever-accelerating production and consumption is unsustainable, unjust, and unfulfilling, and makes the case that it doesn't have to be this way. The Wonder of It All - A presentation by Ralph Marston of photos, music, and meditations on our natural instinct towards wonder. |
 Recommended
Books |
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The Power of Pause: Becoming More by Doing Less, by Terry Hershey. With powerful stories, inspiring quotes and daily practices, he leads us back to rest, which in turn brings back the lives we were intended to have. A
Listening Heart: The Spirituality of Sacred Sensuousness, by Brother David Steindl-Rast, OSB. Seven Sacred Pauses, by Macrina Wiederkehr. The
Soul of Money: Transforming Your Relationship with Money and Life,
by Lynne
Twist, a global activist, fundraiser, and ANGeL's esteemed Mentor. “The
Soul of Money is a long overdue wake-up call for the transformation of
ourselves and our world to peace, harmony and abundance for all.” -- Robert
Muller The
More With Less Cookbook, by Doris Janzen Longacre, Mary Emma
Showalter, and Mary Beth Lind. Sustainable
Planet: Solutions for the Twenty-First Century, by Juliet Schor and
Betsy Taylor (editors) The Food Revolution: How Your Diet Can Help Save Your Life and Our World, by John Robbins and Dean Ornish. "Well researched and lucidly written…this book is sure to spark discussion and incite readers to examine their food choices." (Publisher’s Weekly) |
EDITORIAL POLICY
ANGeL's goal is to offer you through this website an immediate and intimate experience of living gratefully. In selecting topic resources, as elsewhere, we favor quality over quantity. This page is not meant to be a directory of related websites and organizations. Rather, we have selected a few specific links and readings that we believe are most helpful in getting you in touch with your experience. Of course, the Internet is vast and our knowledge is limited; so if you know of a link or a book that is more helpful than what's listed, be sure to let us know.