A Source for Greater Gratitude: Enjoying the Little Things In Life

    Without knowing it, Carl almost is becoming an
assistant innkeeper.  He routinely drops by, sharing his reactions to what I write here, along with his gratitudes.  He posted the comment that follows underneath what I wrote Sunday.  

     What Carl shared is worth bumping up to the living room of this inn, instead of it being tucked away in the comments section.  The passage quoted not only speaks of gratitude.  It also describes a Spiritual Awakening.  

      When we have one, life takes on a different hue.  Through the eyes of faith and a life that knows unconditional love of God and experiencing it  through emotionally healthy friends, our Balcony People, we become increasingly free from needing the approval of others.  Our tendency towards automatic self-condemnation  is diminished.  Grace---being forgiven and loved instead of criticized, replaces fear and we begin to know self-acceptance. 

      Let me know what you think of Carl's post. Here it is: 

     I found a beautiful message I would like to share in a daily reader called "One Day At A Time" The passage is about gratitude, fitting for visitors to this Inn. It is on page 12; the reading for January 12.

    "Today I will examine my ideas of enjoyment, pleasure, delight.  Have I grieved over the fact that my life has become empty of them?  Do these satisfactions depend on parties, travel, dancing, movies, television? Do I feel deprived because I am busy with home, children, a job,so I am not free to pursue some recreation?   If so, it is time I learned to enjoy the thousands of little things that occur in my daily life; a sunrise, the sound of birds, a long walk, noting all the interesting things I see, a piece of music, a good book, a charming response from a child, a moving story told by a friend, a small household chore perfectly performed, a beautiful meal created by me."

     And, a relevant prayer:  "I ask God to make me willing to see clearly my everyday experiences, to sharpen my perception of how much there is to enjoy, even in ordinary things and happenings. Let me be receptive. RESTORE TO ME MY CAPACITY FOR WONDER."

Carl's gratitudes were:

Today I am Grateful For:

1. A welcome after-work nap before the baseball playoff game.

2. A good home-cooked meal, I could eat whenever I wanted, like during commercials.

3. A clean and tidy family - TV room, where once was the chaos created by our sons.

4. That the Giants soundly won the second playoff game, thanks to brilliant pitching and great hitting! 

5. A surprising discovery based on an e-mail communication string, that my client's emergency on Friday night was not my doing. 

6. The sheer relief, and joy of vindication when I communicated this information back to the client. It was immense. 

7. A dignified welcome home at the bus station for my two subdued, humbled sons. 

     They  found themselves the victims of an unplanned, longer-than-expected, wild-goose chase, of their own poorly planned design. I let them know that, "your (their) lack of planning did not make your cirumstances my emergency."