There are Moments, There are Times…

There are moments, there are times…
Sometimes I just receive them,
Full on,
In my face,
Immersive.

Other times, it is mine to do.
It is mine to willfully
Call them in,
To beckon them
To invite them
To approach me.

The moments show up with 
A woosh,
With
A giant blast 
Of energy.

They say to me:

Look.
Look what you have given me.

They last a few moments?
They last a few minutes?
They last.
They leave.

Almost always
It is a moment in nature.   
In and from and about nature.

Almost always
A scene of breathtaking beauty
Beckons me
To remember.

With the exception
Of one spectacular and specific puppy dog
Who runs like a wild thing in the woods
And
Sleeps, tucked under my arm.

My wild and crazy Nik,
My beloved canine life-mate, 
A doorway
To grace and gratitude.

Look.
Look what you have given me.

Wait.
What?

Who is saying what to whom?

Is it me, thanking the universe?
Is it the universe, blessing me?

What I am seeking
Is seeking me.

What we are seeking
Is seeking us.

It is gratitude.

It is the rush and breadth and depth
Of gratitude,
Appreciation for what is,
An exquisite intimacy
With the moment.

Period.
Conversation over.

I knew a fabulous man
Now gone from this earth,
A 12 Step guy
Who use to repeatedly say,

God’s will be done.
Period.

Okay, and I say,

God’s will be done.
Period.

Gratitude.
~~~
Here is a six-minute film by Louie Schwartzberg, an American director, producer, and cinematographer. Schwartzberg is recognized as a pioneer in high-end time-lapse cinematography.

As a visual artist, he focuses on connections between humans and the subtleties of nature and the environment. 

The narration is written and spoken by the beloved Brother David Steindl-Rast, a 98-year-old author, scholar, and Benedictine monk.  Brother David is loved the world over for his enduring message about gratefulness as the true source of lasting happiness. He is known to many as the “grandfather of gratitude.”

The film is called Gratitude.  It says it all.  In six minutes.

~~~
Dear Friends,

For what are you grateful?
What touches you, 
What blasts open your heart
To see the beauty
Around you,
No matter what is happening?

How do you practice gratitude,
The art of seeing the
Grace
Around
You?

How do you create the circumstances
In which
Gratitude
Emerges?
~~~
Dear Friends,

With gratitude for you,
Now and then and always.

With gratitude,
With possibility,
With wise hope.

May all beings benefit from these words, our words shared.

Blessings,
Aruni