7.8.2020
PART 1: Gratitude
If you were to liken your life to a glass with some water in it, then how do you see yourself? Half full or half empty?
Maybe both?
Some days we may seem to be really empty and on other days we may feel exuberant at life’s fullness or half-fullness. Perhaps on some days the water completely fills up to the top and it feels like the glass is full and it’s overflowing. Gratitude fills our very being, and spontaneously we become aware of this grand feeling of gratefulness or perhaps we can say - Great-fullness? It’s at times like these we feel positive, optimistic and joyful.
However, these feelings are inconsistent and they are not assured; the water seems to ‘evaporate’, leaving us feeling hollow, empty, negative, pessimistic and anxious and we have to deal with immense emotional upheavals.
Is it possible to stop that ‘evaporation’, that emptying out?
Certainly, there is – Guru Arjan Dev ji guides us in the following manner:
Stay grounded, stay still and remember that nothing lasts.
Good or bad.
Instead, try to remain grateful for simply having a glass.
Without it, half of anything wouldn’t matter. Would it?
Our well being sprouts from a deeper source. Recognizing this we can access that balance point of equanimity and equilibrium, returning solidly to the mid-way point, the mark of both half-full and half-empty, with less concern, feeling the fullness even when the glass is empty. Aware that all is in Hukum -Divine command.
In the midst of a million forces pulling us toward settling for just one more drop, in a relentless pursuit of “more”, why not spend our lives seeking, accumulating and counting good times and reasons for gratitude as one way to shift the equation from lack to sufficiency; from half-empty to half-full, even gratitude for individual moments and things that can come and go.
Gratefulness is about being able to notice and appreciate the gift of the glass itself, amidst the ups and downs. It is about knowing in our very being that life is a gift, no matter how empty we may feel.
Gratitude is a feeling that spontaneously emerges from within; a gift that is being given to you – gratis – freely!
By practicing gratitude, we are following a path that puts living fully in this moment at the centre of everything. The result is that the more appreciative we are the fuller our glass gets.
While many of you may have already been practicing gratefulness by writing in a Daily Gratitude Journal, I would still like to invite you all to share what you are grateful for in The Gratitude Project, in an artistic, creative way like the yellow picture posted on Nihaal IG.
If you are uncomfortable revealing your name, it can be anonymous, just let me know. This Sunday is the deadline for this project, see more information in last week’s Wednesday newsletter or email me.
This video clip is approx 5 minute, most of it is in English. It shines a beautiful light on the Art of Gratitude. Hope you will take the time to see it:)
DHAN GURU NANAK
DHAN GURU NANAK
DHAN GURU NANAK
DHAN DHAN DHAN SADH JAN
With Warmest Nanak Love
RA
PART 2: Shukrana
I think the above excerpts taken from Prof Puran SIngh’s divine poetry says it all. TAke time to read it once and then again and again until the meaning sinks in.
How totally blessed we are to have had the time to dwell on the loving qualities of our beloved as we yearn to follow in His follow steps, slowly, one baby step at a time but with the shining star always in focus.
For almost six months now, while the Corona Virus has had the world wrapped around its fingers and we too got inflicted with its illusory dance, as we got together every week our focus was able to shift to the thousandfold blessings and we were awash with gratitude and His wonder continued to entrance us. For that how does one say enough thank you to our beloved Mahapurakhs who have bestowed upon us the precious gift of Sangat - Sat Sangat- Sadh Sangat. Even though we have a long way to go at least we are on the road and every second spent in His thought is a seed just waiting to germinate as we water it lovingly with constant mindfulness, simran and stay in the company of the Divine.
I would like to express my sincerest, heartfelt gratitude to all of you for making it possible to have an aura of Sangat. Your enthusiasm, appreciation, participation made the moments we spent together totally blissful. I learnt a lot from your observations and contributions.
I know that each of you will continue on your path as destined by Guru Nanak but for now our journey on Sundays and the newsletters ends as our friend co-vid bids us farewell slowly but surely and we get back to our normal routine, local Sangat and hopefully very soon Samagams.
Until we meet again, please know that I love you from the bottom of my heart and I am so so grateful to all of you for your generosity and largesse of spirit . It has been a gloriously joyful Nanak Love blessing experience for me to have your loving support.
Thank you Bauji, Mataji for your constant companionship for all of us.
DHAN GURU NANAK
DHAN DHAN DHAN SADH JAN
With Warmest Nanak Love
RA
PLEASE NOTE:
1. Nihaal IG (https://www.instagram.com/nihaal.ca/?hl=en) will stay afloat so we can still share loving thoughts:)
2. The recordings and powerpoint presentations of the past webinars will be made available on www.nihaal.ca.
3. To all the beautiful souls who shared their gratitude thoughts-Thank you! May all your heartfelt wishes come true.
