"The highest spiritual path is life itself. If you know how to live daily life, it all becomes a liberating experience... To begin with, you have to realize that you really only have one choice in this life... Do you want to be happy, or do you not want to be happy?... If you keep it that simple, you will see that it really is under your control... Do you want to be happy from this point forward for the rest of your life, regardless of what happens? ... You have to give an unconditional answer... Once you decide you want to be unconditionally happy, something inevitably will happen that challenges you. This test of your commitment is exactly what stimulates spiritual growth. In fact, it is the unconditional aspect of your commitment that makes this the highest path... You just have to decide whether or not you will break your vow..."The reason I underlined these sentences is because I want to commit to unconditional happiness. To do that requires me to seriously think about the "decide whether or not you will break your vow." So my mind goes to fear: What if this or that happens? How will I feel then? Will I still be able to be unconditional happy?
During my vacation, I signed up for the Oprah Winfrey's and Deepak Chopra's online 21-Day Meditation Experience on "Manifesting Grace Through Gratitude." The first day's Centering Thought was "When I am grateful, I find my grace." Every day for 21 straight days I heard a short message on gratitude and grace from Oprah and from Deepak and then meditated for about 10 minutes.
I have discovered that unconditional happiness and gratitude go together. No matter what, there is something to be grateful for - and that puts me into grace which I equate with happiness, joy, love and contentment.
An example: I was talking to a friend who is a member of the Friends of the Hunterdon County Library a couple days ago. She had just heard about a relative with cancer and I had heard recently about a young wife and mother of two who is friends with my stepson being diagnosed with cancer. Rather than going into despair, I was able to say that we both could be grateful that we can be supportive of these women and their families in any and every possible way.
There truly is always something to be grateful for.
~ JEAN
