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New Thought Families Newsletter: The Gift Of Giving Gratitude
Issue #14 Second Sunday, November 11, 2007 |
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 Giving Gratitude
Namaste Beloveds!
Happy November and all that it brings ... Veterans Day, National Children's Book Week, and (American) Thanksgiving, of course. I am gratefully surfacing from the trenches of web site development where I am left puzzled at myself for working so hard for an invisible audience and how I let my endless "To Do" list derail this newsletter from it's official arrival time. Hopefully, when you read up on what's happening at the New Thought Families website, it will inspire you to share it with us! And despite my recurring bouts of self doubt, I continue to give thanks for the blessed existence of this cyber space "stage" where I play and pray. And I give great thanks for the blessing of the real or imagined existence of you, oh fearless readers and other spiritual travelers who my well play and pray there too! Thank you, thank you, thank you!
Perhaps Gratitude is the most talked of practice in our
spiritual tool box - and with good reason. Giving thanks and recognizing our good with appreciation is a sure fire way to raise our vibration and realign with the truth of who we are. The site theme this month is Gratitude with special pages on Remembering Gratitude featuring a bit of Rev Richard Burdick's talk special to Veteran's day and found in full on his website, Expressing Gratitude featuring the "Gratitude Dance" video from Utube and a page on Cultivating Gratitude with a link to the Gratitude Calendar with fun angels that Jeremiah and I did. We also made a blank one for you that you can download as a word doc and fill in for yourself.
Pretty much since his birth, I have prayed with Jeremiah every morning and our main prayer is "Thank you God for ..." It always struck me when he was younger especially, how he would look around him and give thanks for what was right there; "Thank you God for lamps, couches, trees, etc." Even now, he often thanks God for air and in fact, it appears on Day 1 of our Gratitude Calendar. Indeed, in any given moment, there is so much to be thankful for!
Let us rise up and be thankful, for if we didn't learn a lot today, at least we learned a little, and if we didn't learn a little, at least we didn't get sick, and if we got sick, at least we didn't die; so, let us all be thankful. ~ Buddha
In developing the website and this growing vision of New Thought Families, I continue to meditate on less segregation between children and adults within these teachings. There are, of course, many differences in learning & celebration styles of children and adults or are there? Who is this directed to?:
For each new morning with its light, For rest and shelter of the night,
For health and food, for love and friends, For everything Thy goodness sends.
~Ralph Waldo Emerson
Our New, New Thought Christmas CD features the voices of children and of course that is the kind of CD I would produce. The New Thought lyrics are universal teachings set to beautiful, traditional Christmas music. I have received feedback from some that the children's voices make it a family or children's CD and thereby not suitable for an adult market. Whoa. I guess that is a truth - at least for some - and my work is to joyfully stand in my own truth. We are One Voice regardless of religion, culture ... or age! And within each religion, culture, interest group or population segment - like families - there are specific needs to serve. I continue to gratefully play & pray with and for New Thought Families.
Among the new pages on the site, there is a Vision page currently with 2 inspiring videos; one with Marianne Williamson inviting you to be part of the 11% needed for personal and global shifts in consciousness. The other video features Mary Manin Morrissey and her work some time ago with Living Enrichment Center & New Thought Broadcasting. See it and be inspired by what was and by what can be! You can read more of my thoughts on this and other things as well as add your own thoughts on the new Blog page. |
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God Bless You 
What is the most powerful three word phrase I know? Well, sure, "I love you" is always good but this phrase goes way beyond that. Probably because the first word in "I love you" is "I" and the first word in the power phrase I am referring to is "God". Big difference. I have found this simple three word phrase is an amazing key to love, peace, forgiveness, surrender, compassion, kindness, release and subsequent freedom. It is a phrase that brings peace and harmony to me as I think or utter it and it brings varying, immeasurable degrees of harmony to others as well. A simple phrase, a simple prayer ... God Bless You.
I have been verbally and (mostly) silently "God Blessing" people for decades but just recently have come to study and appreciate the wonder of this practice and the empowerment of these three words. While participating in Spiritual Life Center's Faith In Action series this fall, the book of study has been Easwaran's "Strength In The Storm" in which he posits using a mantram. Even though "God Bless You" wasn't an official, suggested mantram, it surfaced for me as the most useful tool I could use at this time. And in using it and watching the results, I have been amazed.
You can read on about the 7 Spiritual Virtues that surfaced for me in practicing, "God Bless You" on the new Blog page.Add your thoughts there!
Let's Talk - Join the Blog! |
New Thought Family Connections!
New Thought Families continue to circle up to play & pray!
We have 2 Family Retreats Planned for 2008!
February Love in the Redwoods of the Santa Cruz Mountains!
"Letters Of Love" Winter Retreat: February 15-17, 2008
YMCA Camp of the Redwoods, Boulder Creek, CA
August Faith in the Granite of the High Sierra Mountains!
"Feathers Of Faith" Summer Retreat: August 14-17, 2008
Stockton Camp, Silver Lake, CA
When thinking of calendar & budgets and upcoming holidays, and life choices and family traditions ... what is more important than nurturing your spiritual family connections, co-creating joyful experiences and lifetime memories?!
A Christmas toy quickly does it's joyful part
but a loving experience gives and lives on in the heart ...
New Thought Families Christmas Party!
Celebrating Christmas Light: Holiday Party!
Thanks to Shawn Murphey for hosting us at Sacramento Lifeworks!
3009 F St., Sacramento A Place where Joy lives!!
 12/8 1:00-5:00 Celebrating Christmas Light
includes Circle of Singing New Thought Christmas Carols
Celebrating Christmas Light: Holiday Party!
Come and shine your light!
Friends * Fellowship * Snacks * Crafts * Costumes * Play *
2 :00 Optional Spiritual Cinema and/or "Elf"
4:00 Sharing Circle including candle lighting &
singing New Thought Christmas Carols
12 Thoughts Christmas Concert at East West Books
on December 15 at 2:00.
$8 Adult $3 Child $15 Family
(See 12 Thoughts below!)
Check our Calendar! |
12 Thoughts Of Christmas
 Sing this to the tune of "The First Noel":
"On this Noel, the angels do pray, the joy is within us, let's laugh and let's play!... "
- Lyrics, "On This Noel" - Laurie Story
New Thought Families joyfully presents
The 12 Thoughts Of Christmas: Traditional Tunes sung with Transformational Thoughts
'Tis the season for the uplifting songs we all grew up singing. The music makes you feel so good. And the words? They add new thoughts to the inspiration of traditional Christmas Carols beautifully played by David Tralle. Here's your chance to add new thoughts to your Christmas traditions and to share this perspective with family and friends ...
Hear Samples of all 24 Tracks online!
Visit our CD pg. and Divine Order yours now !
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 Web Site Is Singing!
The hardest arithmetic to master is that which enables us to count our blessings.
~Eric Hoffer
Our New Thought Families web site is featuring gratitude this month with several pages giving attention to remembering, expressing, and culitvating gratitude. As previously mentioned, you can download and fill in your own gratitude calendar, do the gratitude dance, listen & link with Rev. Richard's talk, and vision with the concept of the New Thought message and your place in it.
You can also start or continue your Thoughtful Christmas shopping, plan for our winter & summer family retreats, as well as read, comment, or otherwise join the blog - God & Goddess Bless You!
We continue to work on things .... adding the UTube videos to play right on site is great but they are also including other videos, some are worthwhile and some we don't recommend. Though we are choosing the coding option for NOT including other videos, it so far isn't working. Patience! When we get it worked out, we have other video pages in the wings including a whole page of the Hugs Campaign from around the world! Lots of countries represented ... stay fine tuned! You can find a celebration of National Children's Book Week including free Laurie Stor-E Books at the Laurie story website: www.lauriesstories.com
We are also working on our December JOY and Christmas pages so they will be up before December (it's a goal) and these include JOY BOY!, The Joy Calendar of Free Gift Giving, Suggested Spiritual Shopping including Tag Yer It P-Shirts - that's "P" for Peace found at: http://www.p-shirts.us/. Feel free to send us shopping suggestions/links or any other inspired content for the site.
Grow flowers of gratitude in the soil of prayer. ~Verbena Wood
Upcoming Monthly Themes:
November - Gratitude, December - Joy, January - Peace, February - Love
www.newthoughtfamilies.com is an inspirational SPIRIT place to play and pray and celebrate life's goodness with childlike passion, fun, wonder, and reverence.
Join us at New Thought Families! |
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So Grateful For You!
 At times our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person. Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us.-Albert Schweitzer
In the never ending swirl of energies that is us and is all around us, we have endless opportunities to bless one another from the flicker of a passing smile, thought, or aknowledgement, to a heartfelt daily prayer, to deeper, more lasting interactions in all facets of relationships. I am so grateful for every bit of it! Gratitude. Through mindful awareness, we remember. Through authentic communication, we express and nurture. Through daily practice, we cultivate... Gratitude. It is an integral part of the Source of Love where we have come from and where we return. Gratitude is also integral to the well being of peace and joy within us. And so it is with great gratitude that I give thanks for each of you - real or imagined readers, engaged or deleted, all part of this moment in some form. It is my grateful knowing that we are growing the seeds our children are sowing. And so it is. Blessed Be. And God Bless You.
Gratitude by Laurie Story Vela
The light of you illumines me
providing the vision I need to see
where I am and where I want to be.
Thank you for being my teacher.
The acceptance of you ignites in me
a burning desire to be free
to love and be loved unconditionally.
Thank you for being my friend.
The encouragement of you instills in me
a peaceful knowing
I am growing
into more of who I am here to be.
Thank you for being my minister.
The love of you provides in me
a comforting home of acceptance
unfolding gradually and naturally.
Thank you for being my mirror.
These 2 songs from the "I Am A Seeker" CD are featured on our Gratitude pgs:
So Grateful For You C 2005 Laurie
Story Vela
I am so grateful for you …
And all the great big little things you say and
you do
You tell me I’m your angel when I’m
feeling my most down
You tell me I’m your songbird when I make
my joyful sounds
You tell me I’m your teacher when I make
my big mistakes
When it comes to loving me, well, you’ve
got what it takes …
Chorus:
You lift me up, higher than you know
You feed me well and inspire me to grow
You light my way with the shining in your soul
I am grateful, so grateful that you are my home
I am so grateful for you …
And all the great big little things you say and
you do
You believe that I can do it, no matter what it
is
You see all my potential and encourage me to give
You respect me and accept me and allow me just
to be
Yes, you are the best when it comes to loving
me
Chorus
Bridge:
Thank you, thank you, thank you, for you my precious
gift
Thank you for your presence, the present way you lift …
Chorus
Tag:
I am grateful, so grateful, so grateful for you
We Thank YouC
2005 Laurie Story Vela
Chorus:
We wanna thank you, thank you, thank you God. (2X)
We thank you, mmmmm, we truly thank you.
We thank you God, mmmmmmm, we thank you God.
For all of the good food that we have to
eat
For the freedom found in our dancing feet,
We thank you, mmmmm, we truly thank you!
May we never take for granted all the million little things
That each and every sunrise promises to bring
For your awesome goodness, we honor you and sing, thank you God!
Chorus
We thank you for the very air that we breathe.
We thank you for the tears that come when we need to grieve,
We thank you, mmmmm, we truly thank you!
May we never hurt another with our words or our deeds
And with our kind intentions we’ll plant peaceful seeds,
The loving laws of the universe, we pray to heed, to thank you God!
Chorus
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Click Here to Subscribe!
Archived Newsletters for New Thought Families:
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October 07:
10/7 The Dance Of Abundance
10/23 Invitation -
Abundant Fun: God Rocks! |
September 07:
9/9 Let Go & Pray
9/23 Post Card - In Equal Balance: Equinox Blessings!
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August 07:
8/6 Post Card - Trust Seeds Faith
8/12 Living Trust In August
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June 07:
6/10 Calling Father Christmas
6/21 Post Card - Shining Stillness |
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February 07:
2/04 Season Of Love
2/14 Post Card - Rejoice In Love |
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December 06:
12/08 Life's A Gift
12/24 Post Card - A Merry Moment |
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© 2007 Laurie
Story Vela, M.A. & New Thought Families
All Rights Reserved For Sharing & Caring
storylaurie@lauriestories.com 1-800-ABC-4974
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