Meditation Day 1: Giving Thanks

Today was a good day. I woke up earlier than normal and spent a half hour or so meditating before getting ready for work. There is something about the solitude of the morning that I love. I think it might be the quiet.

There is a peace in the quiet of the morning that doesn’t seem to be there any other time of day. As I told you before I was always a night owl. I used to stay up late because I relished the quiet of the night. But when I compare the two, the quiet of the night and the quiet of the morning, I must say that I feel more at peace in the morning. When I’m up late my mind is racing, running a mile a minute trying to solve all of the world’s problems. It is the time of my greatest inspiration. I love being in that zone but after a while it gets tiring.

In the morning on the other hand, I’ve had the entire night’s sleep to let my mind wander on the paths that it wanted to go on. I wake up refreshed and full of energy, ready to tackle the tasks of the day.

Ok fine, some days I don’t wake up with that same, rosy enthusiasm but when I wake up with the purpose of meditating, I always end up there.

This morning was no different.

During my time with God I just tried to give thanks. I thanked God for all that He has done for me. I thanked him for the beautiful people that He has brought into my life and I asked that he continues to bless them and me as we take new steps every single day along the paths of our purpose.

There is something very grounding about giving thanks. At first it was hard because lately I have been more focused on what I don’t have than on what I do have. But when I forced myself to change my thinking something wonderful happened. I was overcome with a powerful sense of peace. Through giving thanks I was shown the wonderful blessing that is my life. I was able to see where I have come from and perhaps where I am going. And I was able to see how much of it was a miracle of God’s doing rather than the result of my own ingenuity.

When is the last time that you sat down and thought about what you were thankful for? Don’t feel bad… it had been a while for me too. It is hard not to get distracted by the struggles of life. We see it in the news too… the negative stuff tends to get more attention than the positive.

This is my challenge to you. Sit down for ten minutes or so and just think about everything you are thankful for. Visualize the people, places, and things. Get inside those memories. If it is a person imagine giving them a hug and telling them that you love them. Write the stuff down if you like. Seeing what you have, what you have accomplished, and that you are loved are very powerful things. This knowledge has the ability to transform your life into a life where you are thriving rather than merely surviving.

And of course come back and let us know how it went!

That’s all for now. I’ll be back tomorrow to share whatever else I am inspired to write.

Oh… and the first clear message I was given was to study the Sermon on the Mount this week… so that’s what I will do. Hey… after all it was one of Gandhi’s core principles for his life so it must be great in a universal way right?

Trust me.

Read along! Matthew 5-7.

I will resume the daily Bible program next week.

Talk to you all tomorrow!! Time to wind down the day…

Today’s Meals

Breakfast: 2 Servings of Oatmeal

Snack: Mixed roasted nuts

Lunch: Grilled Chicken Kabob and Mediterranean Salad (no vinegar!)

Snack: More nuts

Dinner: Home grilled chicken thighs and green beans

Beverage of the day… Water