Appreciating the Beauty of the Moment
This service is led by Rev. Lynn Woodland
"Live in the present. Do the things that need to be done.
Do all the good you can each day. The future will unfold."Peace Pilgrim
Now that we're well into the summer season, it's easy to see the steady subsiding of daylight. Yet, while the ebbing of light reminds us that fall isn't far away, the warmth of August is still all summer. This month is a time of fulfillment: everywhere we look, gardens are producing a perfection of ripening crops and burgeoning flowers. Soon it will all be gone but now nature is a feast. With the darkening of fall so close and the heat of summer so present, more than any other season, this late summer month urges us to appreciate the moment, to "be" rather than strive, to live in the fullness of what is and be grateful.
A remarkable woman, who made appreciating the beauty of each moment a way of life, was Peace Pilgrim, who in the 1950's, chose to let go of her middle class life, adopt the simpler name of her pilgrimage, and spend the rest of her years, until 1989, walking back and forth across the country talking to people about peace. She owned only one set of clothes and the very few personal items she could fit in her pockets; she ate only when she was offered food, slept indoors only when she was offered shelter, and talked to people only when they approached her first. She claimed to have no fear whatsoever, in spite of the fact that she sought out the most populated and so called "dangerous" areas to travel through on foot at all hours of day and night. She saw everyone as good and consequently called forth people's highest qualities and behavior.
She became one of my personal heroes when I was just a child and fortunate enough to encounter her on a couple of occasions as she passed through my part of the country. She was mesmerizing and emanated a joyfulness and serenity that moved everyone. Children and adults alike flocked around her and hearing her speak about her life is one of the most vivid memories of my childhood.
In spite of owning nothing, living nowhere and having no outward forms of security, Peace Pilgrim consistently experienced love, generosity, and miracles wherever she went. For her, life was a cornucopia of abundance. She became quite well-known by the time she died and there are a handful of books and videos available about her including the best-known, Peace Pilgrim: Her Life and Work in Her Own Words. This book captures some of her words on gratitude:
All people look beautiful to me; they look like shining lights to me. I always have the feeling of being thankful for these beautiful people who walk the earth with me....
I am constantly thankful. The world is so beautiful, I am thankful. I have endless energy, I am thankful. I am plugged into the source of Universal Supply, I am thankful. I am plugged into the source of Universal Truth, I am thankful. I have this constant feeling of thankfulness, which is a prayer.
In spite of her rough living conditions, Peace Pilgrim enjoyed excellent health up until her death in a car accident. She had tremendous energy and, even in her advanced years, could out-walk just about anyone who tried to walk with her. She said she was walking on "that endless energy that comes from inner peace."
Gratitude truly is a transformative state of mind: it promotes physical health, leaves us feeling happy and at peace, and naturally attracts to us our highest good. Even the very words of gratitude are powerful. Dr. Masaru Emoto, the Japanese researcher well-known for his revolutionary work photographing ice crystals, demonstrated the undeniable impact of words by exposing water to both spoken and written words, then photographing the crystals formed by that water. He found that loving words, such as "thank you," (in any language) form beautiful, complex, snowflake patterns, whereas water exposed to pollutants or harsh words form broken, asymmetrical patterns. Just the fact that our human bodies are predominantly water, leaves little doubt that our words must profoundly affect our well-being.
Gratitude and seeing the beauty in everyone made Peace Pilgrim's life not just one of service but one of supreme joy and fulfillment. It's not necessary to adopt her extreme life style to find this same joy. This month, as nature is producing so many easy opportunities to appreciate the beauty of life, let the power of gratitude work its magic for you. Notice all the small moments in your day when something beautiful is put in your path and let the healing words, "thank you," ripple through all the water in your body, making you beautiful and whole as well. When circumstances conspire in your favorÑa parking place opens up just as you need it, you almost drop something breakable but catch it instead, something that was lost shows up againÑgive thanks for each of these small gifts. Give thanks even for the experiences and life lessons that feel painful. As we give thanks for situations that feel hurtful, we relax, let go of struggle and become more open to healing. I once knew a woman who had struggled with the extremely dangerous skin cancer, melanoma, for many years. Inspired by a book on spiritual healing, she began to write over and over the words, "Thank you, God, for cancer." At first the words felt untrue and hard to write but as she kept at it, gradually she began to feel at peace with her illness for the first time, and soon her six-week check-ups were detecting no precancerous tissueÑsomething that had never happened in the fifteen years she'd battled the disease. More than a year later she was still clear of cancerous growth.
See if this simple attention to gratitude, if practiced consistently, doesn't take on a life of its own, awakening you to the joy of life and heightening your well-being. Soon, you'll be the one touching others with your serenity and inner peace and, in your own way, you'll have become a Peace Pilgrim.
Thank you for coming.
Namaste
Rev. Lynn Woodland is a writer, and founder of Miracles of the Spirit. She has spent her entire professional life promoting spiritually empowering alternatives. To learn more about Lynn Woodland’s work, visit www.lynnwoodland.com or www.quantumspiritunlimited.com