Gratitude
by Alan McElroy
I recently had the opportunity to attend an alcoholics anonymous (AA) meeting with a good friend of mine who I was visiting out of town. He asked me if I would like to accompany him, so here I was sitting in the basement of a local church with forty or so other people. Luckily the heat was on, because at 6:30 am in the morning as we walked across the parking lot, it was only about 11 degrees outside and a bit chilly. It took initiative, fortitude, and discipline to be here. As I looked around the room, there were people from all walks of life; from business people to homeless, old and young, male and female. They all had one common obstacle; they were confronting a struggle with alcohol. It was heartwarming and inspiring to see the camaraderie as they were all there to assist each other to battle their common nemesis. No judgement, just support and understanding. On this day, the theme was on Gratitude and a lot of what was shared centered on the constant battle against ego, self-pity, blaming others for our troubles, etc. etc. These beautiful souls have chosen in this incarnation a difficult life lesson relating to alcohol as a foe on their particular journey of life. As I sat there, I was able to reflect and have a lot of Gratitude for my life. I was aware of the fact that I also do constant battle with ego, self-pity and blame others for my issues during my times of struggle.
This group has found a method, a process, an understanding, a belief system and a community to assist them to battle their situation. It provides a foundation to combat their common adversary; the support, understanding and love of the group is always there, each person just needs to make a choice to engage.
As I sat in the meeting and the discussion focused on Gratitude, I realized that a lot of the language was very similar to what Maitreya wrote and discussed. We’re all souls on a journey of chosen life lessons. The struggles and life events are similar, but the experiences we encounter and life lessons we’ve chosen are unique to each of us and the energy of who we are at this moment in time. Ironically, Maitreya’s Wisdom Card (free download – Ebook and App) has a lot of the exact words that I heard in the meeting. Below is the Maitreya Wisdom Card #37 – Gratitude
Have a great month,
Alan
Maitreya Wisdom Card #37 – GRATITUDE
Life on the Earth plane is created for a soul’s learning experience. Soul growth is achieved through the lessons the soul has chosen to learn in this incarnation. As the soul begins its spiritual development, life, at times, seems to become very hard when the karma, past life energy and learning lessons are all intertwined into everyday life. Often it is at this stage that the individual is easily wrapped up in “negativity” – complaining, blaming, self-pity, fear and anger because the Self part is in control. When you are controlled by the Self, you can hardly see the positive side of life.
However, no matter what has happened in your life and how hard your life might be, everyone and everything is where it needs to be. There are no accidents. You and you alone, decide through choice which way to go; whether to learn the lesson, or delay your lesson for another time, even until another incarnation. Your lessons, once chosen, must be learned; no matter how long it takes!
Therefore, instead of moaning and groaning, complaining and blaming, being angry and holding grudges, try being grateful. Gratitude is one of the key attributes of an open heart. With gratitude, you are grateful for everything that you have, and everything that you do not have; you are thankful for everything that has happened and for everyone who is in your life. With gratitude, you are able to recognize the suffering you have gone through as valuable life lessons, and a source of strength. With gratitude, you become grateful that you have been able to learn from the experiences in your life. Having gratitude enables you to forgive, to let go of your anger, and to appreciate that someone cared enough to help you work through the lessons that you have chosen in your life.
This card is pointing out to you that it does not take a lot for you to thank and appreciate those in your life. Instead of feeling hate, turn that hate into love. Thank the person for being there to help you. If the above situation happens in your life, try transforming your anger into gratitude. Replace your feelings of being hurt, pain, suffering, complaining, blaming, anger and hatred, with thanks, gratitude, and love for the opportunities that you have been given to grow and learn. With gratitude, you become such a great soul.