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-
 Would you notice if you were really curious about the name of the
soon-to-be-released book in your favorite series and the next day, on a channel
you never watch, there it was floating across the screen?
- Would you notice if you filled five bags with ill-fitting clothes and then
received a call from the Kidney Foundation asking if you had anything to donate
to the truck coming to your neighborhood the very next day?
- Would you notice if one morning, when you were really stretched for time, a
class was canceled, allowing you the exact hour you needed to get everything
accomplished?
These are not mind-blowing, outrageous miracles. Or, are they? Our LifeTrek
articles often speak of the importance of asking God / the Universe / your
Higher Power for exactly what you need. So often, because of the power of asking and intentioning,
we find that we have been blessed with exactly what we needed. In those moments of receiving, we
are joyful....and then we go on about our lives.
When we do not take the time to be thankful we miss the next level in the joy of
receiving. Receiving is a give and take exchange. If we simply take, we do not
allow ourselves to grow. Great spiritual teachers are so fully alive
because they have chosen to be mindfully grateful. "A blessing is a 'yes' to
goodness, to grace, to an ultimately friendly universe. Blessings connect us to
the wellspring of our very being," says William John Fitzgerald, a "retired"
pastor and author of 100 Cranes.
Robert A. Emmons, Ph.D., professor of psychology at the University of California
Davis, sites that research about gratitude shows: "a person experiencing
gratitude is protected from the destructive impulses of envy and greed; the
practice of gratitude as a spiritual discipline curbs materialism and its
attendant negative emotions of envy, resentment, disappointment, and bitterness;
gratitude supports well-being by displacing resentment, regret, and other
psychological states deleterious to long-term happiness; and grateful people
experience higher levels of positive emotions -- happiness, vitality, optimism,
and hope -- and greater satisfaction with life."
Let's live by Alice Walker's advice, "Expect nothing. Live frugally on
surprise." And, when you are surprised, take a moment to say "Thank You." Notice
how gratefulness extends the joy of the experience and allows you to more fully
participate in it.
 To reply to this Pathway, use our
Feedback Form. To learn more about our
Creativity Coaching Programs and to
arrange for a complementary Creativity coaching session, use our
Contact Form or
Email Erika.
May you be filled with goodness, peace, and joy.
Erika Jackson
(Erika@LifeTrekCoaching.com)
LifeTrek Coaching International
Columbus, OH
U.S.A.
Telephone: 614-565-9953
Fax: 208-977-7793
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