THANKS

Gratitude is 'in'. The topic is in most magazines almost weekly. There are books about and
journals supporting gratitude to be bought. Many a guru-ish person teaches the vibratory
benefit of gratitude.

I dig it. (That was fun to say--some ancient life as jazz musician appeared) So—I dig compassion on all its levels. As a kind of movement it makes me curious.

Most of my grandchildren don't say 'grace' but they do sing a gratefulness song that honors the Earth. 

I know others who express gratitude with their teeth clenched thinking of it as a cosmic positive thinking duty that will 'manifest' what they are wanting. 

And then there is my husband's kind of gratitude which is appreciation, capital A. We call him The Great Appreciator as he expounds on a building's beauty, a rock, a shadow, a flower.

The mystery begins to enter when stuck by the fact of being alive on this planet with moments of beauty and grandeur, we are awed and struck with the gift of it all.

I once went to a conference in Canada near Banfft. I arrived in the dark at night (and almost fainted when what I thought was a statue of an Elk moved toward me as I headed to my room. In the morning, I saw warning signs for randy Elk. Commonplace as in "let the Elk do their thing. Make room. Oh that we could be as tolerant for one another!) Anyway, I stepped from my room and looked up and there were the Canadian Rockies surrounding me. I fell to my knees. I didn't decide to fall. I fell to my knees holding my brief case. I was in awe and wonder and covered in gratitude. 

Hmmmm. All kinds of gratitude.  All needed.

Here's what ran through my mind this morning.
Gratitude as a practice has become a placeholder for God, the Divine, whatever uncorrupted word you want to use.

Once again, I speak from the middle. It's where I live in my faith continuum. Gratitude remains after the theologies of the world have squeezed the juice out of religion making it unpalatable. It's respectable. It feels right and good. Attach gratitude to humility and there is prayer. There is prayer. Thank Goodness for it. 

I sit here and laugh as I am grateful for gratitude. And I am. May the trend grow and evolve as we are.