|
Continuing our discussion of gratitude, I would like to reflect on one of the other pillars of the Serenity Prayer- Wisdom. Developing wisdom means continuing to stay curious and continuing to wonder.
Where do you find wonder in your daily life?
0 Comments
In effort to continue creating a community for discussion, I've started a video blog on YouTube! I hope you enjoy learning more about the reasons behind my book and tune in often for new videos. Thank you for listening!  As we begin the month of November and realize that we celebrate the great national feast of Thanksgiving at the end of the month – just, of course, before we “celebrate” Black Friday. We can only stand so much thanksgiving before we have to spend & buy. My suggestion is that we set aside the month for a special time to give thanks. Robert Emmons, who has done intensive research on gratitude, found that people who express gratitude with regularity are happier people. He documents the power of expressing this gratefulness either in person or in writing. He also suggests the power of being specific for whom or for what we are grateful. I’d suggest as we begin this month of November – a month of Thanksgiving – we commit to being specific about our gratefulness and thanksgiving.
The 26th of November, then, – Thanksgiving this year in the United States – will be a culmination of our daily thanksgivings. Here are a few pictures from my very first book launch party. The event took place at Sisters Sludge Coffee Shop in Minneapolis. Thank you to everyone who joined me to make it a very special evening. A special thanks to the sisters of Sisters Sludge for hosting it and serving wonderful coffee. For additional photos, please visit my good friend John Walsh's website. Please enjoy the pictures!  It takes at least a little bit of humility to say thank you to another person. Implicit is an appreciation that I am not the center of the universe and I am dependent on others for my needs and wants. Humility – being the wordsmith that I am – comes from the Latin word “humus,” meaning soil. Being humble means to be grounded in the self-knowledge of what I am able to do and what I am not. As I am aware of what I am not able to do, I can ask for help and express gratitude when that other person helps me.
In 12 Step Language, it is seeking the help of a higher power that can take us beyond powerlessness. Who has helped you move from helplessness in some area of your life and have you thanked them yet? |
AuthorLike millions of people in Twelve Step groups around the world, Mark T. Scannell has had an intimate relationship with the Serenity Prayer. A decades-long veteran Twelve Stepper and former Roman Catholic priest, Scannell explored the origins of the prayer that has been a staple in addiction recovery since the 1940s. From his own experience and taking a closer look at the prayer’s deeper history, he has come to believe that this age-old prayer has a vital missing element. In The Gratitude Element, Scannell invites readers to take a new look at an old prayer and see how giving thanks is a natural and essential ingredient in an appeal for serenity, courage, and wisdom. Archives
March 2023
Categories
All
|
RSS Feed