Expressly Aware
WORD FOR THE DAY 1/20/23
As I express my gratitude, I become more deeply aware of it.
And the greater my awareness, the greater my need to express it.
BR. DAVID STEINDL-RAST
Today I am grateful for footfalls. Steps have been treacherous in the snow and ice of our Upper Midwest winter. We have had especially challenging combinations of temperature and forms of precipitation. I walk like a penguin. I change my route, weaving from one safer step to another. I give thanks for a nice stretch of dry pavement on roads and trails.
I look forward to spring, but I also stay present in the thick of winter and appreciate the beauty of snow on the trees, the light that snow provides in the darkest times. I give thanks for warm clothes, winter gear when I head outside, and a heated, cozy home to return to.
I also miss long training runs and the anticipation of a marathon on the calendar later in the year. Yet, I treasure each run I take and I do my targeted exercises regularly so this runner can keep on keeping on, even if it is for shorter runs. There is joy for me in the footfalls, the time connecting with fresh air and Nature.
As I considered footfalls, I was reminded of this, my own writing from 2013. The 100th Blessing was a contest stemming from Brother David Steindl-Rast’s beautiful little book: 99 Blessings.
Source of all blessings, you bless us with footfalls.
From the steady rhythm of a marathon runner to the wobbly first steps of a toddler, from a stroll in the park to determined strides down a hospital hall, and everything in between. Whether on new grass, fresh snow, hard asphalt, or rough trail, the soil beneath our footfalls is solid and full of life. May we feel grounded by these footfalls, connected to our earthly home, appreciative of the growth and understanding that come one step at a time.
~ Lisa Valentine
Brother David has been a favorite gratefulness teacher of mine for many years. His words inspire me and also conspire, in many good ways, to keep my practices fresh and alive. Awareness comes. Expression deepens awareness. A good cycle is underway. I express by writing. By pausing to breathe in, breathe out, notice the view out the window. By slowing the doing long enough to enjoy the being.
Do I ever tire of practicing gratitude? Not really, because true moments of presence bring experiences and awareness that have never taken place just as they do in this present moment under present circumstances. Fresh. Alive. Generative.
I express my gratitude one step at a time, one breath at a time, one word at a time. Grounded. Connected. Growing in understanding. Thank you Brother David and so many others who keep gratefulness alive and well. And I thank myself for my ongoing commitment to living gratefully. It makes all the difference. Onward!
