Dear friends,
It is wonderful that you are here.
I don't mean to say that it is wonderful that you're listening to this,
Although that is wonderful too.
The primary source of wonder must be that this morning you have woken up to the gift of another new day.
As we welcome the start of this new day,
Let us first of all take time out,
One minute,
Just 60 seconds,
To reflect with gratitude on this daily renewed gift of our existence.
So make sure you are sitting comfortably.
You might like to close your eyes,
That might help you to go within,
And just become aware of your breathing in and your breathing out during this one minute pause for morning gratitude.
Welcome back.
Next we are going to focus on some of the many blessings that surround us.
We have already offered gratitude for the gift of this new day,
A new day which offers us an opportunity to grow,
To learn and to make a positive impact on the world.
As the sun rises once again,
The sounds of nature come to life all around us,
Greeting this new day.
We might usefully recall the opening words of the hymn,
Look at the World,
Composed by John Rutter.
Look at the world,
Everything all around us.
Look at the world and marvel every day.
Look at the world,
So many joys and wonders,
So many miracles along our way.
Think how wonderful it is that you have made time to stop to give thanks for all of this.
Let's pause for another 60 seconds of grateful reflection.
Welcome back.
Next we must give thanks for this wonderful human body,
With its countless processes going on.
Going on so reliably that until something goes wrong,
We are completely unaware of this miracle.
This human body is our means of interaction with the world.
It's all so wonderful.
Think too of the people in our lives,
Family,
Friends and people we just come across.
People whose presence is a source of joy,
Support and love.
Even the quietest among us,
We are all social beings.
Maintaining relationships with other people is so important for our health and for our well-being.
So we offer thanks for the presence of family,
Friends,
Neighbours and the people we casually come in contact with day by day.
We give thanks for the lessons they teach us,
Even the difficult ones among them,
And we all know some difficult people.
These people at least teach us the importance of patience.
People need people.
We all need people.
So we pause now to give thanks for the people in our lives.
Welcome back again.
Next we take a moment to acknowledge the abundance that surrounds us.
We are grateful in the first place for the food that nourishes us,
Remembering that this food is the gift of the whole universe.
Its coming to us has involved dedicated work and the loving labour and cooperation of countless people whom we will never meet in person.
We are grateful to each and every one of them.
We give thanks for water,
Essential to life as we know it.
Water falls from the sky but few of us have the difficult practice of collecting it in a bucket or struggling to carry it long distances.
Just as in the case of food,
Very many people work hard to ensure that we have a reliable water supply.
This is available to us at the simple turn of a tap.
In giving thanks for food and water we must remember that many people in the world do not enjoy these blessings that we take for granted.
If a grateful reflection is to mean anything it must also result in our resolving to do what we can to ease the burden of the many people in our world who even today do not have enough food to eat or water to drink and who do not have a fair share of the world's resources.
There but for the grace of God go you and I.
Let's pause again for a moment of reflection,
Another 60 seconds.
Welcome back again and you know we don't have to wait for the extraordinary benefits before we start to give thanks.
It's important to remember to appreciate the simple pleasures in life,
The warm smiles,
The kind words,
The gestures,
The laughter shared in a moment of connection with a friend.
We give thanks for these simple everyday events.
They brighten our lives and they lighten our days.
Finally we must remember we must extend gratitude for the gift of this wonderful planet earth,
Our common home and the source of life for all beings.
The search continues but so far none of our efforts have produced evidence of life outside this fragile blue and white ball floating in the vastness of space.
We give thanks for the good earth.
It provides the air we breathe,
The water we drink and we give thanks too for the fragile layer of soil on its surface that enables food to be produced.
Let us enter this new day with hearts full of gratitude for all the many benefits of our lives.
May this daily renewed sense of gratitude inspire us to act kindly and generously to the people we come across.
We will not pass this way again and on this extraordinary journey of life let us resolve to tread more lightly on this beautiful planet earth.
As has been said we don't inherit the earth from our ancestors we borrow it from our children.
The music in the background will continue for a couple of minutes.
This is to enable you if you have the time to sit for a few moments more in gratitude for the gift of this new day.
Namaste
