“Rain of Blessings”*
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I remember
Being in my early years
Of sobriety
And attending
A Thanksgiving
Gratitude meeting.
I can remember
Exactly
Where I
Was sitting
In the room.
How many
Lifetimes
Ago?
And I remember
Thinking–
Oh,
Gratitude—
I’m tired
Of hearing
About that.
I
Want something
Something
More
Spiritual,
Something
More
More profound.
OH.
Dear.
Me.
In this
Present moment
Of cronehood,
I can excuse
The arrogance
And
Ignorance,
Of
My
Youth.
I have grown
To believe
As Amrit Desai,
(Gurudev) has said:
Gratitude is
The highest prayer.
~~~
I remember another
Meeting,
Probably around
That same timeframe,
My pre-Kripalu,
Early sobriety days,
In the
Mid-80’s,
In NYC.
I remember
Hearing a woman
Share
That
Upon awakening,
She thanks the Universe
For all It will
Offer her
That day.
I was appalled!
Shocked!
Horrified!
What if shitty things happen?
Shouldn’t one
Wait to see
The “kind”
Of experiences
One is given,
Before one
Offers
One’s
Gratitude?
Oh.
Dear.
Me.
Another opportunity
To forgive the
Youthfulness,
The
Lack of
Understanding
Of me,
Me,
Back
Then.
~~~
More recently
In my adulthood
(phew),
I am practicing
Being grateful
For all of it.
For all in me.
For all around me.
Not just the positive
Aspects of myself.
Not just the successful,
Comfortable, funny
Things about me…
But my fear.
And my anxiety.
As well as
My
Shame.
To welcome each
Back home
Into the arms
Of my
Own awareness,
Into the hug
Of my self-observation
Without judgment,
Into the embrace
Of my own
Self-kindness.
To be grateful for
All of it.
Outside of me?
The same.
For the hard
As well as
The easy moments.
For the comfortable
As well as
The scary
Interactions.
For the fear
As well as
The faith.
To be grateful
For all of it.
Inside of me.
And outside.
To be grateful.
~~~
Do you know the Japanese concept of kintsugi?
It is centuries-old art form which joins cracks in pottery with gold dust.
More than an aesthetic, it celebrates the philosophy of embracing and loving our human flaws.
The “repaired” bowls become more beautiful, more unique, more remarkable than their original form.
As we honor once-banished parts of ourselves, we, too, become more beautiful and unique and remarkable than our original form.
Here is an extraordinary video—thank you, Mary Ellen, for sending it on.
Singer-songwriter Peter Mayer performing his song, Japanese Bowl.
~~~
Dear friends,
What parts of yourself to you run from?
Do you hide from others?
Do you wrap in lesser-than,
In not-good-enough?
What might it look like,
To
Befriend them,
To
Welcome them,
To
Celebrate them?
They are doorways
To our wholeness.
~~~
As the days shorten and darken, as the holidays hover, let’s lean into the light.
Miten and Deva Premal are wonderful chanters who can lead us there.
Here’s a song from their new album, Miten—the Jungle Session.
At the end, please watch the extraordinary woman doing a prana dance.
This is our very own Kripalu teacher, Nina Crisp, a woman of grace and strength and fluidity.
Here are Miten and Deva Permal, with Rain of Blessings:
~~~
Dear Friends,
In gratitude
For
What was.
In gratitude
For
What is.
In gratitude
For
What
Might
Be.
Inevitably
And
Eventually
May we
See the blessings.
Best,
Aruni
~~~
REMINDER
Grief, Loss & Renewal—Savoring Life’s Lessons
December 2-4, at Kripalu Center
This program is both powerful and gentle, grounded in acceptance and transformation.
Please pass it on to anybody to whom it might serve.
*Title comes from Miten and Deva Permal Song of the Same Name