Being Thankful for the Little Things

They say we should be thankful for the little things in life.  How many times have you heard that expression?

I had to opportunity to hear a woman speak recently who was recovering from a stroke.  She was leading a meditation, and was talking about how we should be grateful and more mindful of all the little things in our lives.  She then proceeded to share with us some of the little things 'she' was grateful for.


 
Her list was long and meandering - but the beautiful flow and sincerity of her words deeply touched everyone in the room.  It wasn't so much a meditation, as a journey.  Her unique journey ~

" - like when you are looking for a parking place and you happen to see the very last one in the lot...and you barely have room to squeeze your car into the corner - but hey, you got to park!  Or how about there not being any ice on the roads anymore so you don't have to worry about hitting another car or falling down when you try to get out?  Those are some of the things I'm grateful for...and I'm also pretty grateful to get my plants in the ground after they have been sitting on my deck for a long time ~"

Through my silent laughter at her candor - eyes closed and tears of happiness streaming down my smiling face - I felt my heart completely open up and send all the love and hugs I had within me to this wonderful, brave soul.
Yes, I thought - it really is the small things we overlook that we should be thankful for.
It really is ~

~ diane

It's all in Your Dreams #1 by Diane Fergurson
Prints available on Etsy

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Namaste - An Explanation of a Very Old Greeting

The first time I read this beautiful explanation of the greeting "Namaste" in artist PattyMara Gourley's blog, I knew I was destined to re-post an excerpt of it on The Mind Body Spirit Odyssey.  Thank you for sharing Patty!  To read more wonderful words by PattyMara and experience all her fabulous creative work, you can visit her at her shop on Etsy!

                                                                                                      ~ diane fergurson


                                                                       

NAMASTE represents the belief that there is a Divine spark within each of us that is located in the heart chakra. The gesture acknowledges the soul in one by the soul in another. Pronounced nah-mah-stay', it is a traditional Sanskrit greeting translated loosely as "The divine within me greets the divine within you"
NAMA means bow
AS means I
TE means you.

Namaste literally means "bow me you" or "I bow to You." To perform Namaste, place the hands together at the heart chakra, close the eyes, and bow the head. It can also be done by placing the hands together in front of the third eye, bowing the head, and then bringing the hands down to the heart. This is an especially deep form of respect. Although in the West the word "Namaste" is usually spoken in conjunction with the gesture, in India, it is understood that the gesture itself signifies Namaste, and therefore, it is unnecessary to say the word while bowing.

We bring the hands together at the heart chakra to increase the flow of Divine love. Bowing the head and closing the eyes helps the mind surrender to the Divine in the heart. One can do Namaste to oneself as a meditation technique to go deeper inside the heart chakra; when done with someone else, it is also a beautiful, albeit quick, meditation.

Namaste allows two individuals to come together energetically to a place of connection and timelessness, free from the bonds of ego-connection. If it is done with deep feeling in the heart and with the mind surrendered, a deep union of spirits can blossom.

I've made painted clay Namaste tiles for the past ten years. They hang in homes, offices, meditation centers and yoga studios. I've created a new Namaste Painted Clay Collection
I make them now with white mica clay from New Mexico, and they shimmer with luminous sparkle and shine, a perfect reflection of two hearts connected.

 PattyMara's Etsy Shop!  Take a look!

Related Posts:

The Lotus

Mudras:  Gestures of a Different Kind

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