Express Gratitude and Grace

Throughout this life, you can never be certain of living long enough to take another breath. — Zen Master HuangBo

I started blogging to rekindle long-smoldering artful fires, and to hurl positive thunderbolts into the gaping void of antagonism and mistrust roiling the world. We all must seize the reins, tillers and wheels and turn the future from the gloomy abyss of despair. Each moment of melancholy holds a few precious grains of joy. Just as darkness shuns the light, uncertainty shrinks before positivity. Strike the steel of confidence with the flint of integrity and light the bonfires of gratitude and grace.

You pray in your distress and in your need; would that you might pray also in the fullness of your joy and in your days of abundance. — Kahill Gibran

Some people waste their most precious possession — time — lusting after what they don’t have rather than appreciating what they do have. There is a seemingly endless array of things to purchase. Bright and shiny dreams are on sale 24/7. These are but hollow copies of the true desires for love, peace and joy. During this time of year, negative emotions, such as greed and envy, are hidden behind a gaudy veneer of wish fulfillment. But can a mass produced object reclaim even a single lost second of youth or replace true happiness? See instead the blessings all around. Let your heart dance with joie de vivre — the cheerful enjoyment of life and exultation of spirit.

It’s so much darker when a light goes out than it would have been if it had never shone. — John Steinbeck

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the horror of the pandemic and pay tribute to the over five million people who have died. A few months after I began this blog, I began reading about a strange illness in China. Having lived in China for twelve years and with a large extended family there, I try to keep current on news of China. As some of you may know, I worked as a managing editor and lead writer for a monthly magazine and weekly newspaper while I was a university lecturer. (Read some of my China Collage). And so, I am fairly skilled at what “China hands” call — reading the tea leaves. Something bad was brewing in the shadowy margins of what wasn’t being said. But no one knew how bad it would get. Now there is news of another ghastly mutation of Covid. We must not succumb to fear. Instead take a few minutes to remember those who have passed. If you have suffered a loss from this disease — add their glowing memory to the beacon you carry into the future.

To accept some idea of truth without experiencing it is like a painting of a cake on paper which you cannot eat. — Shunryū Suzuki

Live your truth. Find within you the things that not only enlighten you but empower you. Life cannot be lived in the mind. Life is lived with the senses and sensations of that which is true to you. Words, even these humble few, cannot summon a single grain of tangible reality. Reach out and express the feelings you have for one another. Be present in the moment and truly experience that first sip of coffee; bite of a meal; touch of the hand; good morning whisper. Release the burdens of wants and embrace that which you need — a happy fascination with your own life.

If you are depressed, you are living in the past. If you are anxious, you are living in the future. If you are at peace, you are living in the present. — LaoZi

In my writings, I use thoughtful quotes as motes of inspiration around which form the snowflake-like structures of my musings. Draped in shadows of youth and fancy, a splendid panoply of insights have filled my skies with wonderment since my first post; and for these, and you my readers, I will be forever grateful. Live in the present as often as you can. Bring your life into focus. Be thankful for the next breath, and for the beauty that takes your breath away. Find hope in one another. Invest in your future. Unbox Your Soul. And find a travel companion on your spiritual journey. Peace and Love.