Hello friends. I’ve been off the circuit for awhile…sorting a few things out. And the process is anything but linear.
It has been a little dark lately. But the fog is slowly lifting. In the meantime I have been encouraged and inspired by some of you out there, and I would like to acknowledge you here with thanks. You have helped me with perspective, and the glass now seems half full.
“We could start being present to one another. We could live in the naked now instead of hiding in the past or worrying about the future, as we mentally rehearse resentments and make our case for why we are right and someone else is wrong. And to see rightly is to be able to be fully present—without fear, without bias, and without judgment. It is such hard work for the ego, for the emotions, and for the body, that I think most of us would simply prefer to go to church services.”–Richard Rohr
“Giving thanks, being grateful for who is, and what you have in your life is a choice. Gratitude, an attitude of thankfulness, cannot be forced. It is a decision that is purely ours to make. But I know this, when I am aware of gratitude, when I feel it in my very core, I release the past and revel in the joy of the present. For as Thornton Wilder put it, “We can only be said to be alive in those moments when our hearts are conscious of our treasures.”–Gigi Wanders blog
“…that gratitude in advance is the most powerful creative force in the universe. Most people do not know this, yet it is true. Expressing thankfulness in advance is the way of all Masters. So do not wait for a thing to happen and then give thanks. Give thanks before it happens, and watch energies swirl!”–Neil Donald Walsch
“Gratitude is not only the greatest of the virtues but the parent of all others.” – Cicero
“Gratitude/appreciation is a virtue, and as such it represents a very deliberate and systematic approach to life. Which means that gratitude/appreciation is much more than a feeling or a welling up of the heart. It’s about seeing—about how we see—and training and encouraging ourselves to see things—situations, people, relationships—in a certain way. Gratitude is about how we perceive and how we think about what we encounter. Seeing that what we have, seeing that even though we might not have everything we want or the best of everything, what we do have is more than many people elsewhere have, that it is enough, and that what we do have is something that we can and ought to be grateful for if we appreciate it and get beyond our constant craving. —Real True Love blog
servingothersblog.com 
This is a beautiful post, with very wise quotes. And I certainly can relate to how our own process is ‘anything but linear’. I am so glad that your glass is once again feeling half full.
Blessings ~Gina
Thank you Gina…
So glad to have you back.
Nice post, J.
Now go for full-full!
Full-full? What a concept! I will visualize that as I am singing tonight….thanks Gigi.
J.
When we pull back that veil of darkness, then we can see how gloriously bright things truly are..
Loved this post.. very uplifting..
lynne
Thank you for sharing these wonderful quotes on gratitude. I’m sorry for whatever it is that you’re going through Jonathan. But I’m glad to hear things are getting better. 🙂 Half-full or half-empty — at least, there’s still the glass that holds the water. 😉