True happiness is to enjoy the present without anxious dependence upon the future.
Not to amuse ourselves with either hopes or fears,
But to rest satisfied with what we have,
Which is sufficient.
For he that is so wants nothing.
The greatest blessings of mankind are within us and within our reach.
Seneca Dear friends,
I invite you to relax,
Come into the magic of this present moment,
And enjoy a period of happiness based on gratitude.
As I prepare this meditation for you,
I'm lighting a candle for your intentions.
I'd like you to close your eyes,
Relax and receive these blessings.
May you find much peace and happiness in your life.
May your days and nights be filled with love and kindness.
Love and kindness given,
And love and kindness received.
May you never take for granted the people who love you.
May you have friends and family who support you,
And may you be a support to them.
May you find joy in the simple everyday pleasures of life.
May all your actions be guided by wisdom and compassion.
May you have a sense of purpose,
Finding strength in times of trouble.
May you make space for some moments of laughter every day,
And always be able to call to mind something to make you smile.
May you be a source of light and love and healing to people you encounter along the way,
Ever willing to extend a helping hand to those in need.
Always offering a listening ear to those who need a listener.
Stephen Grelot reminds us,
We shall pass through this world but once.
Any good therefore that we can do,
Or any kindness that we can show to any human being,
Let us do it now.
Let us not defer or neglect it,
For we shall not pass this way again.
May you practice the much neglected art of living in the present moment,
Letting go of past regrets,
Forgiving yourself and other people too for mistakes made.
We all make mistakes,
They provide us with lessons for life.
May you be free from worry and anxiety about the future,
The always uncertain future,
Learning instead to meet each day with calmness.
May you take time to look after your health,
Your physical and your mental well-being.
We know that there is nothing we can do to guarantee our good health.
In the second of the five remembrances of the Buddhist tradition,
We are told we are of the nature to have ill health,
We cannot avoid sickness,
So we will likely have health issues at some stage.
But let us work to improve our prospects by taking reasonable care.
The world around us is an unending source of awe and wonder.
May you remember to stop,
To notice,
To be thankful for all the blessings of your life,
To be grateful for all the wonders that surround you.
We're now going to have a pause for reflection.
This will last for two minutes,
During which time we'll look around and notice all the things which are the sources of happiness.
We have so much to be grateful for,
From the simple chair that we're sitting on,
The screen in front of us,
All the things in this very room.
A two-minute pause.
Welcome back.
Melody Beattie has words for us on the subject of gratitude.
Gratitude makes sense of our past,
Brings peace for today and creates a vision for tomorrow.
It is not the joy that makes us grateful,
It is gratitude that makes us joyful.
Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life.
It turns what we have into enough and more.
It turns denial into acceptance,
Chaos to order,
Confusion to clarity.
It can turn a meal into a feast,
A house into a home,
A stranger into a friend.
Gratitude makes sense of our past,
Brings peace for today and creates a vision for tomorrow.
We'll have another pause shortly,
This time to think about the people in our lives.
We might have partners or spouses,
Parents,
Children,
Siblings,
Aunts or uncles,
Nephews and nieces and others as well.
And then there are friends and neighbours,
Colleagues at work or in college,
People we are connected with through clubs or associations.
So many people making up the tapestry of each of our lives.
We think of the difference that these people make to our lives.
Just imagine life without them,
Without any one of them.
What would it be like?
Another two-minute pause.
Welcome back.
A quote from Michael Josephson.
The world has enough beautiful mountains and meadows,
Spectacular skies and serene lakes.
It has enough lush forests,
Flowered fields and sandy beaches.
It has plenty of stars and the promise of a new sunrise and sunset every day.
What the world needs more of is people to appreciate and enjoy it.
Our next pause for reflection will be to express gratitude for nature,
The world around us,
The air we breathe,
Blue skies,
Starry nights,
Oceans and rivers and mountains,
Trees and flowers and vegetation.
When we take a walk through this world,
We are really walking through paradise.
We are strolling through a garden of Eden.
A two-minute pause.
Welcome back.
A quote from Thomas Merton.
To be grateful is to recognise the love of God in everything he has given us.
And he has given us everything.
Every breath we draw is a gift of his love.
Every moment of existence is a grace,
For it brings with it immense graces from him.
Gratitude,
Therefore,
Takes nothing for granted,
Is never unresponsive,
Is constantly awakening to new wonder and to praise of the goodness of God.
For the grateful person knows that God is good,
Not by hearsay,
But by experience.
And that is what makes all the difference.
Now we could go on with pauses like this indefinitely.
We could divide the world and the people around us into categories and subcategories,
Into divisions and subdivisions,
Giving ourselves time each day to reflect with gratitude on a different aspect.
The wonders of science,
Inventions which have made such a difference to us,
Teachers and philosophers and religious leaders,
Opening our eyes beyond the everyday,
Giving us a glimpse into the timeless and the eternal.
So many reasons for gratitude and thankfulness.
These we can reflect on in our own time.
Maybe setting aside a little time every day for meditation,
One blessing at a time.
But for now,
A final two-minute pause,
So that we can think of any of these benefits that cross our minds.
Welcome back.
Now a quote to help us become more thankful.
This is from Wayne Dyer.
Give yourself a gift of five minutes of contemplation,
In awe of everything you see around you.
Go outside and turn your attention to the many miracles around you.
This five minute a day regimen of appreciation and gratitude will help you to focus your life in awe.
There is no doubt that if we follow Wayne's advice,
We will live lives filled with gratitude.
And what a difference that will make.
This is not to suggest that we would set out to express gratitude so that we will earn more happiness.
A selfish approach like that would hardly work.
But the simple fact is that gratitude makes us joyful.
Gratitude increases our awareness of all that is good around us.
That awareness gives rise to more and more feelings of gratitude.
And upward goes the bright spiral of happiness and contentment.
All powered by a simple thank you.
Now before I extinguish the candle,
A short loving kindness blessing for you.
So bring your attention to yourself.
Notice yourself as you are right now.
Sitting where you are.
Realize how wonderful it is to be alive.
To be here.
Enjoying an aware presence.
Here we are.
Able to listen to these meditations.
Finding words of encouragement for life from one another.
Now place your hands on your chest.
Feel your heartbeat.
Imagine yourself surrounded by a warm gentle light.
Feeling like a warm hug.
Giving you an awareness of being loved.
You might even like to give yourself a hug just now.
Hugs are good.
And with your hands feeling your heartbeat,
You can repeat the following words silently after me.
May I be happy.
May I be healthy.
May I be safe.
May I live with ease.
And again.
May I be happy.
May I be healthy.
May I be safe.
May I live with ease.
And so dear friends,
In the days,
Weeks,
Months,
And in the years ahead,
May you have all the joy that comes from gratitude.
All the happiness that comes from appreciating all that you have in every one grateful moment of time.
Namaste.
