When you rise in the morning, give thanks for the light, for your life, for your strength. Give thanks for your food and for the joy of living. -Tecumseh, Shawnee Chief
As you enter our culture's hurried season, take a breath. Slow down. Open your eyes and look at the sky we rarely see. Give thanks for today and its opportunities.
“You think this is just another day in your life. It’s not just another day. It’s the one day that is given you today… “By experiencing, by becoming aware that every moment is a given moment, as we say.
It’s a gift. "You haven’t earned it. … You have no way of assuring that there will be another moment given to you, and yet, that’s the most valuable thing that can ever be given to us, this moment, with all the opportunity that it contains. If we didn’t have this present moment, we wouldn’t have any opportunity to do anything or experience anything, and this moment is a gift. “What you are really grateful for is the opportunity, not the thing that is given to you, because if that thing were somewhere else and you didn’t have the opportunity to enjoy it, to do something with it, you wouldn’t be grateful for it.
Opportunity is the gift within every gift… “We can avail ourselves of this opportunity, or we can miss it, and if we avail ourselves to the opportunity, it is the key to happiness. "Behold the master key to our happiness in our own hands. “Moment by moment, we can be grateful for this gift.” - Br. David Steindl-Rast
with gratitude,
Wes Legg
If you have 5-minutes, check out Louie Schwartzberg’s stunning film accompanied by more powerful words from Br. David Steindl-Rast. The film begins at 4:23.