Surrender and Gratitude

Hello, dear friends,
As I have been reflecting on the spiritual journey these last few months, I am beginning to understand that the central "practice" of any spiritual journey is surrender and gratitude.

Maybe other phrases would sound better than: "surrender." I know that for me, when I first heard about "surrender," I was not drawn to that practice. Why would I want to surrender what I thought was best? As I grow older, however, I have learned that "surrender" is simply another way of "going with the flow," "letting go," or "trusting what is." If one of those phrases works for you, then use that phrase.

How do we surrender? We breathe into the moment, whatever the moment brings. For a moment - even simply a moment - we accept ourselves and whatever is exactly as it is.
If we don't like it, we give a "nod" to that awareness, and we accept our dislike. Then we breathe into the moment. Practice this now. Whatever is in your heart or mind, breathe into this awareness. Breathe.

I suppose "surrender" is simply another word for "trust." And if you care to think about it, "surrender" is strongly connected to "forgiveness." When we accept, when we surrender to what is, we are in a state of "forgiveness." Most of us know we can't do this perfectly, but even a moment is enough.

Gratitude. Maybe this is the next step, after surrender. Maybe it's simply another way to say surrender. Say: "thank you,"to the Universe, to the Great I Am, to God.
Say, "thank you... well, I'm not completely grateful..." and see what happens!

And at the beginning or end of each day, write a list of at least 5 things for which you grateful.
Warmly,
meb