Everyday Thanksgiving–March 2013

“Thank you, Lord, for what you’ve done for me.
Thank you, Lord, for what you’re doing now.
Thank you, Lord, for ev’ry little thing.
Thank you, Lord, for you made me sing.“~Bob Marley

This is my monthly download of my daily gratitude practice–everyday I try to post five things that I am grateful for. Hope you find gratitude in your life.

March 2013

Thank you for my passion for what i am doing now; the wonderful post-its that my wife hid for me around our house; civil rights leaders who sacrificed their lives for peace; Norman Rockwell’s painting the “Golden Rule”: spring.

Thank you for the full day workshop with Jeff Foster; the present moment/movement; Life being “so intelligent” to give us exactly what we need; child car seats; how my life “hasn’t worked out perfectly.”

Thank you for how my 3 year old squeals when I tickle him;the maturity of my 5 year old; the in-depth love maps my wife and I share; my male blogging friends; all the synchronicity around acceptance.

Thank you for the wonderful people in my Cultivating Compassion Class; my wife’s success; my mother helping take care of the boys; new beginnings; the epistolary writing I got done today.

Thank you for Google Groups; how my 3 year old jumps over cracks in the sidewalk like a little leprechaun; my 3 year old son’s poo-poo train–ing; kid’s meals at nice restaurants; the warm responses I got to the hara kiri post.

Thank you for The Greater Good Science Center; Jon Kabat-Zinn’s keynote at the Practicing Mindfulness and Compassion Conference; Kristen Neff and her work on self-compassion; fresh fruit; serendipitous meetings.

Thank you for my wife’s Chinese cooking;  the abundance of clean potable water we are blessed with; resilience; the challenge of the present movement; bowling with kids.

Thank you for quinoa; clean sheets; the way my son traces my face while I sleep; naps; the role model of Aileen Hernandez.

Thank you for freezers and frozen food; urban gardens; all the windows at the local library; the time I got to write today; the happier mood due to sunshine.

Thank you for leniency; Pi; fresh blueberries; how excited my 3 year old is when he poos in the toilet; self-compassion.

Thank you for how my older son loves the original Looney Tunes; Novocaine; Flash Forgiveness; change; how much richer I am with compassion, empathy, and lovingkindness.

Thank you for lunch after church with my family; my son’s love of soccer; all the wonderful summer camps in our area; puppet shows; petting zoos.

Thank you for morning meditation; mistakes that lead to change; access to creativity; loving what I do; all the beauty of this moment right here, right now.

Thank you for perseverance; the opportunity to work on myself first; the kind neighbor who offered hand-me-downs to my sons; so many opportunities to practice equanimity; my wife’s smiling eyes.

Thank you for the availability of high quality health care where I live; being approved for medical insurance; Fox’s dentist visit today; Costco Lasagne; surprise smiles from strangers.

Thank you for the opportunity to take a class with my wife; pajama day at my son’s school; kid’s adorable soccer outfits; Sunshine sharing her gratitude journal; Jon Hilton’s friendship.

Thank you for second chances; breaking bread with family and friends; how much my nephews love my sons; not having allergies in spring; mid-day meditation resets.

Thank you for creative insomnia;  realizing my role as a cultivator of compassion; accepting my past as a gift; library time with my family; the breath chorus of my loved ones sleeping in the same room.

Thank you for the lessons from rejection; being able to hear my 3 year old scream out, “Don’t forget to buy night diapers” in the middle of the night; 3 nights of creative insomnia; the opportunity and awareness to change my life; the strength and courage of my wife to stand by my side.

Thank you for early morning cuddling with my boys; a productive day of writing; the coolness of our house; my wife and I working as a team; our new health insurance.

Thank you for Easter bunnies; watching my son grab at thin air in a 3D movie; play in all forms; radical acceptance; my son’s fever to make me realize that I need to be more compassionate.

Related articles

• Everyday Thanksgiving – February 2013 (everydaygurus.com)
• Tweet: “I’m meditating with Jon Kabat-Zinn” (everydaygurus.com)

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