15-Jan-08 9:00 PM CST

The Elder Voice - Grateful for Everything

The Elder Voice

Grateful for Everything
by Luis Bautista and Lamont Grogan

There seems to be consensus in the minds of most people that gratitude facilitates a sense of satisfaction and fulfillment with life. Expressions of gratitude affirm abundance and the wonder of being alive and the presence of so many resources life provides us.

How can a Warrior grow in his feeling of gratitude? What practice might deepen a core belief that is rooted in abundance, good fortune, and complete sufficiency in all aspects of our life? It’s easy to be grateful upon winning the lottery or experiencing the joy of a fulfilling relationship. Can we be grateful for the “less obvious”? Can we be grateful for sadness, fear and the dissonance of shadow? Can we think deeply about the purpose of these dark energies in our life and discover an extraordinary gift in situations that give rise to these uncomfortable feelings? If we can be grateful for the unpleasant aspects of life, surely we will increase in an awareness of just how fortunate we are to be alive and appreciate deeply all the experiences life brings us.

A prayer expressing gratitude for the “less obvious” aspects of life is set forth below. If we can find a gift in the aspects of life that vex us, if we can find gratitude where we never even thought to look for it, then we may live happier lives and make greater contributions to our families and community.

A Man’s Prayer of Gratitude for His Shadows

Grandfather, I am calling you to come into my heart. Hear my prayer.

Grandfather, help me in my struggle to be grateful for my shadows and the teachings they bring me. Move me to feel more deeply about the meaning of my shadows in the journey of life. What is the purpose of these dark energies which guide and control me when I feel weak? Why are they so large in my heart, Grandfather? My shadows feel hard to heal and are resistant to the light of my living spirit. Grandfather, I am asking for your help.

Grandfather, thank you for my pain and suffering; bless my pain and make it a friend to me. Lead me to the scared ground of healing. Thank you for the aliveness of my suffering. Make stronger my curiosity and determination to seek a deeper understanding for the pain I feel. Grandfather, I know in my heart that my pain is a teacher and a guide. It points the way to my serenity and peace, like a lake at dawn.

I have everything I need to complete my mission. Thank you for all your kindness. Thank you for the day I deliver my gifts to the world.

My shadows, my pain, my sadness all lead me to the day when I will be calm and joyful. I am grateful for the day when I can speak the language of the world and enter into the soul of the world. Grandfather, thank you for the day of my death, when I become a luminous spirit and join the Ancient Ones.

I am fearful, Grandfather. Thank you for this awful fear.
AHO

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Source: Luis Bautista and Lamont Grogan
http://www.mkphouston.org