FIRST THOUGHTS.
- The final piece in a series of blog posts (8, in all) focusing on waking thoughts that are often overlooked.
After the hectic pace leading up to a holiday like Thanksgiving, my earliest thoughts turn to what was missing. But something reminds me that it’s the season of gratitude. A season that is not time-bound, after all. And the list of things, people, places to be grateful for is of course endless.
Yet, it is the nature of humanity to consider the entire picture — what we perceive as lovely and life affirming versus what seems to be lacking or not quite right.
But can we still be grateful for the picture pieces that are perceived as less than ideal? For the missing pieces, per se? And how so?
- The pale light of dawn flickers at the window and these thoughts rumble around in my mind like playful questions … darting closer, then disappearing. Almost daring me to address them. Luckily, my mind isn’t fully engaged yet, so my “higher self” — my spiritual dimension — brings a deeper kind of awareness to these questions. Our minds, working alone, are always restricted to past conditioning and are therefore limited in perception and time-bound in orientation. But by accessing universal intelligence we can see beyond the constraints of our mortal existence. We can see things in a new light, so to speak.
As each day comes to us refreshed and anew, so does my
gratitude renew itself daily. The breaking of the sun over the
horizon is my grateful heart dawning upon a blessed world.
~Terri Guillemets
Most of us have experienced some kind of deep loss. And of course, the experience itself brings “depth” to our lives … as we confront the greatest unknown. The spiritual realm becomes more immediate when someone we love dies, so it’s only natural that our spiritual dimensions also grow stronger in the aftermath. In reaching out to understand, to find peace with a painful absence, we are ushered into a new world … one previously veiled to us.
And, thus, we must lead the way for others.
For those who haven’t yet walked in our shoes … for those who still live primarily on the surface of life, as though it were the only thing to be aware of or concerned with.
Naturally, it can be challenging to bridge that gap in a way that is helpful and constructive. In fact, it seems that experience often is the only or, at least the best, teacher. That deep loss remains rather abstract and curiously remote to those who haven’t become acquainted more directly with the tremendous power of death — from the loss of a child, for instance.
Courtesies of a small and trivial character are the
ones which strike deepest in the grateful and appreciating heart.
~Henry Clay
As the light of morning becomes more insistent, I fight the urge to “think” about all of this. To think about my son, Matthew, and what a wonderful Thanksgiving we had together just a few years ago.
Instead, I want my spiritual dimension to stay in focus because that is where many important insights originate — that is where I want to live my life, by and large. A higher power connects everything for us in ways that take us beyond suffering, beyond superficial living that neither inspires nor truly supports others. As Eckhart Tolle points out, by going beyond repetitive mind thoughts born of past conditioning, we can begin to experience the divine in ourselves and those around us.
So, can I still feel gratitude for the entire picture … despite the fact that I miss my son, that his presence at Thanksgiving would have made the day feel more complete and meaningful?
My spiritual instincts go with “yes.” That it’s normal and natural to greatly miss someone you’ve loved and nurtured for some 27 years, but the spiritual growth I’ve experienced since his loss, early summer 2007, has moved me closer to Matthew’s spiritual essence, which is indeed timeless and eternal.
Would I give anything to see his light-filled smile once more? Of course. Would I give anything to hear his voice, see his eyes, and know that he is “fine” in the mortal sense of things? Of course. Yet, we all must “let go” of life as we know it — we all must grow in gratitude for quality, not quantity. A few days of true joy are amazing. So why do we always think such days should pile up like snowflakes in winter? Why not begin to understand the fleeting nature of our existence, helping younger generations to live more deeply … more spiritually?
Gratitude is a quality similar to electricity: it must be produced and discharged and used up in order to exist at all. ~William Faulkner
It’s morning now.
And the sun is a stronger, brighter, force at my window, as if not wanting to go unnoticed. As though eager to warm the world. Do not let this day go unnoticed. Do not forget to honor the deep spiritual connections in your life that have brought you to this very moment.
Your light, like ours, is part of a universal light — never really lost, merely transformed.
Thank you all for visiting SunnyRoomStudio. May your days always be blessed with compassion, humility, and a desire to help others. Everyone is looking for the light, but only some are truly aware of it. Let your gratitude guide you in all the right directions.
Blog posts by DazyDayWriter @ work in SunnyRoomStudio: all rights reserved.
