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Gratitude

I have a little ceremony I do each morning.  I find it congenial, and improved it spontaneously in a small way this morning.

I had read some time ago of some Tibetan who like to put a pinch of tea in a pot, and pour it out into a cup, to the point of overflowing.  These are blessings.

I thank God for all that I have, and I try to see it as I do so.  Running water, heat, air conditioning, sufficient food, varieties of food, clean water, health, a bed, a blanket, a sense of physical safety: the possible list is long. 

Today I added: and I thank you for what good may come my way today.  I like this.  It sets a tone of expectation, of looking, of anticipatory gratitude.

Then I take a small piece of a flower from a flowering plant I keep, which has purple blossoms, and has done a fantastic job of staying in bloom for at least 4 months, and float it on the water, and ask for the wisdom and perception to see and appreciate the beauty that floats by me in this life.

Finally, I light a small tea candle, and ask for the wisdom and courage to be a light in this world.

It is congenial.  It is my approach, but something like it, I think most people will find useful in the remembrance of the good, which cannot but drive out, or at least reduce, the terrors and anxieties of the present and past.