There is no protection against adversity. There are no guarantees. What you have is yourself, made in the image of something very great, the Greatest thing. You have yourself, and the particular circumstances of your life. What you create is your measure of love. What you create is up to you. We choose what we will risk. But only the freedom that drives the risk matters.
Cultivating gratitude opens us to allurement, strengthens our trust, and expands our compassion. Gratitude
manifests in the midst of our everyday living when we pause to take account of how much we have been given. We are present to the wonder of the simplest gifts: a glass of water, a spoonful of food, a breath of air. At such times our hearts are full.
~ Michael Dowd and Connie Barlow in "EarthLight," Summer, 2001
