An Attitude of Gratitude – A Powerful Healing Force

Maintaining Gratitude
What is gratitude? How can you be grateful during times of physical pain, financial suffering or emotional stress? Can gratitude help us be physically fit, emotionally strong and successful in our daily lives? What is the secret to having a happy, rich and fulfilling life?  New research shows that gratitude is scientifically proven to benefit not only our emotions, but our bodies, mind and spirit and significantly effect our overall health and wellness.

60 Random Acts of Kindness

What are random acts of kindness?  How do I know if I’m being kind or if I’m being selfish? 

How can we be more kind? Kindness is the highest form of wisdom. Kindness also makes us feel better and improves our health.

WHY SHOULD I BE KIND?
Studies show that acts of charity and kindness improve the health of our body, mind and spirit.  When you are kind to yourself and others, your energy level improves, your circulation improves, pain decreases, digestion improves and a general sense of well-being in heightened.

HOW DO I KNOW IF I’M BEING KIND?
True kindness comes from deep within the heart.  You will know when you are being kind or when someone is being kind to you because you feel a warmth, a stirring within  you  as Soul. You feel appreciated, valued, cared for and loved. You feel grateful.  When you are being kind to someone else, you are not thinking of your own personal agenda, you are acting selflessly for the greater good of another person or of a community.

If a person is able to receive your gift of kindness, often that person lights up with appreciation and gratitude. That person softens and the true light from within shines much brighter.   Be honest with yourself.  Are you being kind or are you trying to control others by helping others? No one likes a “do-gooder” who is trying to help, when no help is wanted. This is not an act of kindness.  This is an act of power.   If you make a mistake (and we all do) and realize that your efforts were  unkind, love yourself and forgive yourself. You can choose to learn valuable lesson and start over.  Learning how to be kind is worth the effort, for yourself and others.

WHAT IF A PERSON DOESN’T ACCEPT MY KINDNESS?
Sometimes people are not able to receive gifts of kindness and love. Check in with yourself and trust your intuition. One of two situations might be occurring:

1. Maybe you are not doing  what the person wants and needs, but instead you are doing what you think is best for them.
2. Maybe that person truly is grateful but feels depressed, ashamed and is unable to receive your kindness, compassion and love.  If a person doesn’t accept your kindness, allow that person freedom to live life in their own way, but check in with yourself.  Make sure you are being truly kind.

Sometimes kindness is just quietly listening.

How do you know whether you are being kind or whether your actions are self-motivated? It is important to be honest with yourself.  A truly kind person knows how to listen and gives from the heart. Sometimes kindness means just quietly listening.  If you trust your intuition and truly act from the heart with love, you will soon discover how to be kind.

WHAT DOES RESEARCH TELL US?
A 2013 study, “A Functional Genomic Perspective on Human Well-being” by researchers Barbara Frederickson, Stephen Cole, and others at the University of California, Los Angeles, and the University of North Carolina found that people whose happiness was based on helping others, rather than on aquiring materialistic objects, had lower inflammatory markers and improved levels of antibodies, needed for fighting off disease. Researchers analyzed the blood of 80 healthy volunteers.  The volunteers were surveyed to determine what made them happy and gave them a feeling of satisfaction in life. The volunteers whose happiness was more eudaemonic, or based on a sense of higher purpose and service to others had profiles that displayed augmented levels of antibody-producing gene expression and lower levels of the pro-inflammatory expression. They concluded that “the human genome may be more sensitive to qualitative variations in well-being than are our conscious affective experiences.”

A May 2013 study, “Compassion Training Alters Altruism and Neural Responses to Suffering” by researchers at the Center for Investigating Healthy Minds at the Waisman Center of the University of Wisconsin-Madison shows that adults can be trained to be more compassionate. The report is published in the online journal  Psychological Science, and is the first to investigate whether training adults in compassion can result in greater altruistic (kind, selfless, and generous) behavior. After the training in compassion, there was an increase in altruistic “redistribution of funds.”  Researchers Weng, Fox, and others, concluded “These results suggest that compassion can be cultivated with training and that greater altruistic behavior may emerge from increased engagement of neural systems implicated in understanding the suffering of other people, executive and emotional control, and reward processing.”

60 RANDOM ACTS OF KINDNESS
You most likely are practicing random acts of kindness every day. Being kind can be as simple as smiling.  Here are a few ideas for random acts of kindness.  If you don’t see an act of kindness that you have tried, please share and add to this list by making a comment below.

1. If you drive through a toll booth, pay the toll for the next person behind you.
2. If you live in an area with snow, shovel the sidewalk for your neighbor.
   

   Everyone is grateful for help with the snow.

3. Pick up litter in the community at parks, playgrounds, parking lots, sidewalks, etc., without being asked to do so, or without joining a community service organization.
4. Offer to help your family members or friends with a project they are working with.
5. Bring in a neighbor’s trash cans from the street.
6. Write a poem for a loved one and read it to them.
7. When you go to a public library and see books placed on the self crooked or shoved back too far, straighten the books on the bookshelf to be helpful to the next person (let the librarian be in charge of shelving, but you can do your part to straighten).
   

   Straightening library shelves can be a great way to show kindness and give community support.

8. If you see someone who looks lost, take time to give directions.
9. If you see someone struggling with carrying packages to their car, offer to help carry the bags for them.
10. Leave a book or magazine at a laundromat or waiting room for the next person to read.
11. If you see a parking meter that has expired, put coins in the meter for the person.
12. Write motivational messages or inspirational notes on “sticky notes” or “PostIts”  for your family members, such as “You make me smile,”  or “I’m grateful for you in my life,”  or “Thank you for being so kind,”  and leave them in little places around the house where they will be sure to see them.
    

    Leave positive or uplifting messages on sticky notes for family members or friends.

13. Buy extra dog food or dog treats and donate it to a local animal shelter.
14. Write a letter or mail a package to a person in the armed forces.  Find out more by visiting www.military.com
15. Write letters of encouragement on friendship note cards  and deliver them to a senior center, such as “You are beautiful and shine with love,”  “Have a wonderful day,”  “Sending you warm showers of love today.”
16. When you leave a public bathroom that is not well-kept, take a paper towel and wipe off  the counter for the next person.
17. Buy a box of  holiday cards and sign  them with holiday love and best wishes.  Deliver them to a homeless shelter, hospital, or nursing home.
18. If you have a secretary or assistant who helps you, bring that person a special gift, food treat, or favorite beverage first thing in the morning.
19. Stick a thank you note outside the door for the newspaper carrier.
20. Bake cookies or create healthy food baskets (such as raw fruits) to give as “gratitude gifts” and drop them off to public servants such as firefighters or police men or women.
21. When you are mowing your yard, and you know that your neighbor wants their yard mowed, mow your neighbor’s yard as well.
22. Send thank you cards to people who help you every day, such as the hairdresser, the dentist, the apartment manager etc.,  thanking them for their service.
23. Stop by a florist shop and buy flowers or pick flowers from your flower garden.  Then listen inwardly for guidance and give the flowers to the first person you see who is in need of receiving love.
    

    Giving flowers is a loving gesture that says, “You are special. I care about you.”

24. If you go to church, put a note in the collection plate along with your offering, thanking the minister and staff for the love they put into the service.
25. Begin to collect coins or bills in a jar each day, and then donate the collection to charity.
26. If you happen to walk or drive by a home that is well-kept, with a beautiful garden or yard, write a little note and put it in their mail box telling them how much you appreciate the love they put into their home.
27. Buy a bird feeder, or put a plate or pan outside in the yard to provide birdseed for the birds and squirrels.
    

    All creatures on earth respond to kindness.

28. Write a letter or note to a very old friend, classmate, or someone you haven’t seen for many years, and tell them why you appreciate them and what a difference they have made in your life.
29. If you are shopping at a grocery store and a person is checking out in front of you, doesn’t have enough change handy at the register, offer your coins to them.
30. If someone owes you money, let it go, forgive them and never think of it again.
31.  Say, “I’m sorry” to someone when you’ve made a mistake.
32. When you are leaving a restaurant, pay for someone else’s meal without them knowing about it.
33. If you see someone on the street asking for money, give a donation to them.
34. When you use a vending machine, leave your change for the next person.
35. If you are in a crowded bus, offer someone your seat.
    

    Kindness is thinking of others with loving care, and demonstrating that with thought, word and deed.

36. Offer to babysit for your friend’s children so that the parents can have a special “date night” out.
37. Take time out to really listen to a loved one or friend.
38. If there is a donation box at the checkout in a store, add some money to the collection.
39. If you see a shopping cart out in the parking lot, return the shopping cart back to the store or to its storage area.
40. If you notice that a neighbor is moving, walk over to their house and offer to help pack or lift boxes.
41. If someone is explaining themselves and talking for a long time and your mind begins drifting to other thoughts about your own life, stop yourself from drifting and just listen and let them talk.
42. Check your phone book for local animal shelters and volunteer at the animal shelter (walk  dogs, pet kittens,  help with cleaning cages, or feed animals).
43. If you enter or leave a building and notice someone behind you, hold the door open so they can walk ahead of you.
    

    Holding the door open for someone is a simple, compassionate gesture.

44. If you see a homeless person on the street and you’ve just left the grocery store, give them a bag of groceries, and go back for more.
45. Say hello, good morning or good afternoon when you see people on the street.
46. Offer to let someone step ahead of you when you are waiting in line.
47. If you have elderly neighbors with dogs, offer to walk their dogs.
48. Begin the habit of buying two or three extra cans or packages of food when you go shopping.  Check your local area for food banks or the Salvation Army and donate to food banks regularly.
49. Call the local schools and volunteer to be a tutor or mentor.
50. Write a thank you note to your teacher or coach and tell them how much they helped you.
51. When you are driving your car and another car is trying to merge into traffic, let them merge into your lane.
52. If you take the city bus, be extra kind to a bus driver. Say hello, tell them how much you appreciate what they do.
53. Call friends or family members whom you do not see often and tell them what you appreciate about them. Ask them to share how they are doing.  Listen and be a good friend.
    

    Your uplifting, kind words on a phone call to a family member or friend might be the highlight of that person’s day, and something they might treasure for a lifetime.

54. Donate toys to children in need.
55. If you are living with another family member, do chores or errands for them that they ordinarily do for themselves or others (such as the laundry, dusting, cooking, etc.).
56. If a friend or family member looks tired, offer to fix them a cup of tea or give them a foot massage or something to eat.
57. Be friendly to new neighbors and bring them a food basket.
58. Sort through all of your clothes and donate clothes you don’t use anymore to a used clothing store or homeless shelter.
59. Offer to “pet sit” for friends who are going vacationing.
60. Smile at everyone you see and everyone you don’t see (even when you are talking on the phone).  Remember that kindness starts in the heart and is felt from one person to another across the miles.

RESOURCES
NY Times – “Looking to Genes for the Secret to Happiness”
PNAS – “A functional genomic perspective on human well-being”
NY Times – “Can Emotional Intelligence Be Taught?”
University of Wisconsin Madison – “Brain Can Be Trained in Compassion, Study Shows”
Psychological Science – “Compassion Training Alters Altruism and Neural Responses to Suffering”
Random Acts of Kindness (www.randomactsofkindness.org)

_______________________________

This article is written by Jean Voice Dart,  M.S. Special Education from Illinois State University.  Jean is a published author and has written hundreds of health articles as well as hosting a local television program, “Making Miracles Happen.”  She is a Registered Music Therapist, Sound Therapist, and Master Level Energetic Teacher, and is the Executive Director, founder and Health and Wellness Educator of the Monterey Bay Holistic Alliance.  The Monterey Bay Holistic Alliance is a registered 501 (c) 3  nonprofit health and wellness education organization.  For more information about  the Monterey Bay Holistic Alliance contact us or visit our website at www.montereybayholistic.com.

Disclaimer: The Monterey Bay Holistic Alliance is a charitable, independent registered nonprofit 501(c)3 organization and does not endorse any particular products or practices. We exist as an educational organization dedicated to providing free access to health education resources, products and services. Claims and statements herein are for informational purposes only and have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. The statements about organizations, practitioners, methods of treatment, and products listed on this website are not meant to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. This information is intended for educational purposes only. The MBHA strongly recommends that you seek out your trusted medical doctor or practitioner for diagnosis and treatment of any existing health condition.

50 Forgiveness Quotes

Forgiveness: One kind word can warm three winter months. Click, copy, download, save and share.

What is forgiveness?

How do we forgive others when we are angry, hurt, abandoned, abused or outraged? Is it possible to be kind to someone who has been unkind? If so, where do we find the courage and strength? Forgiveness brings love to our hearts and health and healing to ourselves and others.

Are you struggling with forgiveness? Sometimes it helps to take time out away from your day to day stress and anxiety. Get plenty of good food, a good night’s sleep, rest and relaxation during the day, and then when you are ready, you might like to put on your favorite loving music while reading these inspired thoughts about forgiveness.

Then surrender with gratitude, forgiveness and love.

50 Forgiveness Quotes

People can be more forgiving than you can imagine. But you have to forgive yourself. Let go of what’s bitter and move on.
-Bill Cosby

Forgiveness is the economy of the heart… forgiveness saves the expense of anger, the cost of hatred, the waste of spirits.
-Hannah More

Not just Christians and Jews, but also Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus and the followers of many other religions believe in values like peace, respect, tolerance and dignity. These are values that bring people together and enable us to build responsible and solid communities.
-Alcee Hastings

I have learned that sometimes “sorry” is not enough. Sometimes you actually have to change.
-Claire London

The stupid neither forgive nor forget; the naïve forgive and forget; the wise forgive but do not forget.
-Thomas Szasz

Forgotten is forgiven.
-F. Scott Fitzgerald

One forgives to the degree that one loves.
-Francois de La Rochefoucauld

Forgiveness is the remission of sins. For it is by this that what has been lost, and was found, is saved from being lost again.
-Saint Augustine

Forgiveness is the final form of love.
-Reinhold Niebuhr

Forgiveness is a virtue of the brave.
-Indira Gandhi

The highest result of education is tolerance.
-Helen Keller

To forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover that the prisoner was you.
-Lewis B. Smedes

Forgiveness is a funny thing. It warms the heart and cools the sting.
-William Arthur Ward

I believe with all my heart that civilization has produced nothing finer than a man or woman who thinks and practices true tolerance.
-Frank Knox

Life is an adventure in forgiveness.
-Norman Cousins

It is very east to forgive others their mistakes; it takes more grit and gumption to forgive them for having witnessed your own.
-Jessamyn West

Humanity is never so beautiful as when praying for forgiveness, or else forgiving another.
-Jean Paul

The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.
-Gandhi

Forgiveness is the answer to the child’s dream of a miracle by which what is broken is made whole again, what is soiled is made clean again.
-Dag Hammarskjol

Forgiveness is the fragrance that the violet sheds on the heel that has crushed it.
-Mark Twain

It is thus tolerance that is the source of peace, and intolerance that is the source of disorder and squabbling.
-Pierre Bayle

I think tolerance and acceptance and love is something that feeds every community.
-Lady Gaga

He that cannot forgive others breaks the bridge over which he must pass himself; for every man has need to be forgiven.
-Thomas Fuller

It is essential to employ, trust, and reward those whose perspective, ability, and judgment are radically different from yours. It is also rare, for it requires uncommon humility, tolerance, and wisdom.
-Dee Hock

Man has two great spiritual needs. One is for forgiveness. The other is for goodness.
-Billy Graham

What is tolerance? It is the consequence of humanity. We are all formed of frailty and error; let us pardon reciprocally each other’s folly – that is the first law of nature.
-Voltaire

Acceptance and tolerance and forgiveness, those are life-altering lessons.
-Jessica Lange

Mistakes are always forgivable, if one has the courage to admit them.
-Bruce Lee

And as I’ve gotten older, I’ve had more of a tendency to look for people who live by kindness, tolerance, compassion, a gentler way of looking at things.
-Martin Scorsese

You will know that forgiveness has begun when you recall those who hurt you and feel the power to wish them well.
-Lewis B. Smedes

Sincere forgiveness isn’t colored with expectations that the other person apologize or change. Don’t worry whether or not they finally understand you. Love them and release them. Life feeds back truth to people in its own way and time-just like it does for you and me.
-Sara Paddison

If you can’t forgive and forget, pick one.
-Robert Brault

He who cannot forgive breaks the bridge over which he himself must pass.
-George Herbert

Without forgiveness life is governed by… an endless cycle of resentment and retaliation.
-Roberto Assagioli

Forgive all who have offended you, not for them, but for yourself.
-Harriet Nelson

Forgiving does not erase the bitter past. A healed memory is not a deleted memory. Instead, forgiving what we cannot forget creates a new way to remember. We change the memory of our past into a hope for our future.
-Louis B. Smedes

To forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover that the prisoner was you.
-Louis B. Smedes

A happy marriage is the union of two good forgivers.
-Robert Quillen

Forgive yourself for your faults and your mistakes and move on.
-Les Brown

The ability to forgive is one of man’s greatest achievements.
-Bryant H. McGill

Tolerance is giving to every other human being every right that you claim for yourself.
-Robert Green Ingersoll

Forgiveness is the giving, and so the receiving, of life.
-George MacDonald

My desire is to be a forgiving, non-judgmental person.
-Janine Turner

Once a woman has forgiven her man, she must not reheat his sins for breakfast.
-Marlene Dietrich

It is easier to forgive an enemy than to forgive a friend.
-William Blake

Genuine forgiveness does not deny anger but faces it head-on.
-Alice Duer Miller

To understand is to forgive, even oneself.
-Alexander Chase

To err is human; to forgive, divine.
-Alexander Pope

Never forget the three powerful resources you always have available to you: love, prayer, and forgiveness.
-H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

Forgiveness ought to be like a cancelled note – torn in two, and burned up, so that it never can be shown against one.
-Henry Ward Beecher

In the practice of tolerance, one’s enemy is the best teacher.
-Dalai Lama

_______________________________

This article is written by Jean Voice Dart,  M.S. Special Education from Illinois State University.  Jean is a published author and has written hundreds of health articles as well as hosting a local television program, “Making Miracles Happen.”  She is a Registered Music Therapist, Sound Therapist, and Master Level Energetic Teacher, and is the Executive Director, founder and Health and Wellness Educator of the Monterey Bay Holistic Alliance.  The Monterey Bay Holistic Alliance is a registered 501 (c) 3  nonprofit health and wellness education organization.  For more information about  the Monterey Bay Holistic Alliance contact us or visit our website at www.montereybayholistic.com.

Disclaimer: The Monterey Bay Holistic Alliance is a charitable, independent registered nonprofit 501(c)3 organization and does not endorse any particular products or practices. We exist as an educational organization dedicated to providing free access to health education resources, products and services. Claims and statements herein are for informational purposes only and have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. The statements about organizations, practitioners, methods of treatment, and products listed on this website are not meant to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. This information is intended for educational purposes only. The MBHA strongly recommends that you seek out your trusted medical doctor or practitioner for diagnosis and treatment of any existing health condition.

How Does Charity Make Us Healthy?

WHAT IS CHARITY?

Can charity improve health? Do we benefit when we volunteer and give to others?  Copy, download, save and share.

Can giving to others make us healthy? Research studies show that giving has a powerful effect on our health……BUT ONLY if it is truly charitable giving. How do we make sure that it is TRUE CHARITY?  Charity is the voluntary act of giving time, help, money, products or services to others who are in need, and who are not related to the giver.Most forms of charity consist of offering food, shelter, or volunteering our time in service, assisting those who are experiencing misfortune. Charity is also the general daily acts of human kindness, compassion, consideration, and love.

WHY CHARITY FEELS GOOD

What is at the root of charity, and why does it feel good to both the giver and the receiver?  Historical documents show us that deep at the root of charity is divine love.  The Greek word “agape” ἀγάπη means charity and selfless, divine love, as opposed to sexual or human love.  This is the highest state of consciouness possible in it’s human form.  The word “agape” was translated to “love” in this popular bible quotation.

“And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and do not have love (agape), it profits me nothing.”  1 Corinthians 13:2

So clearly there is much more to charity (“agape”)  than just “helping” others.  Think about charity for a moment.  What value would charity be if we were giving money or service, to the Red Cross, for example, out of a feeling of frustration, duty or regret?  Charity is about helping, yes, but also about an attitude of selflessness, compassion, and love.  Let’s look at some other popular  quotes about charity.

“It’s not how much we give but how much love we put into giving.”
― Mother Teresa

“No one has ever become poor by giving.”
― Anne Frank, Diary of Anne Frank

“There is no exercise better for the heart than reaching down and lifting people up.”
― John Holmes

“The simplest acts of kindness are by far more powerful then a thousand heads bowing in prayer.”
― Mahatma Gandhi

“A bone to the dog is not charity. Charity is the bone shared with the dog, when you are just as hungry as the dog.”
― Jack London

“You have not lived today until you have done something for someone who can never repay you.”
― John Bunyan

تبسمك في وجه أخيك صدقة، وأمرك بالمعروف صدقة ونهيك عن المنكر صدقة، وإرشادك الرجل في أرض الضلال لك صدقة، ونصرك الرجل الرديء البصر لك صدقة، وإماطتك الحجر والشوك العظم عن الطريق لك صدقة
“Smiling in your brother’s face is an act of charity. So is enjoining good and forbidding evil, giving directions to the lost traveler, aiding the blind and removing obstacles from the path.”

(Graded authentic by Ibn Hajar and al-Albani: Hidaayat-ur-Ruwaah, 2/293)
― Muhammad

RESEARCH ON THE EFFECTS OF CHARITY ON HEALTH

Many studies in the past ten years, have shown that engaging in acts of volunteerism and charity can greatly improve our health.  A report entitled, “The Health Benefits of Volunteering:  A Review of Recent Research,”   stated that a significant connection was found between volunteering and good health. The report shows that volunteers lived longer, had higher functional ability, lower rates of depression and less incidence of heart disease.  Studies such as, “Volunteering and Mortality Among Older Adults: Findings From a National Sample” by Marc A. Musick,  A. Regula Herzog and  James S. House,  and  “Volunteering and Health: What Impact Does it Really Have? A Report to Volunteering England” by Casiday, R. and Kinsman, E. and Fisher, C. and Bambra, confirm these findings.

There is also research evidence that volunteers make a difference to the health and well-being of service users.  Studies have found that those receiving charity and service experience an increased level of  self esteem, they are better able to manage and accept their illness and disease, and improved relationships with care providing staff and professionals.

Charity is clearly beneficial both the giver and the receiver. With that in mind, as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, we are always looking for volunteers here at the Monterey Bay Holistic Alliance, if you feel so inclined to give in service in this way. 😉  But in all seriousness, this article wasn’t written with that in mind.  Rather it’s a focus on maintaining a daily, moment to moment, state of consciousness of “charity,” this is the “agape” selfless, divine state, that was first discussed above.

HOW DO WE MAINTAIN A CHARITY CONSCIOUSNESS?

First we start with charity to ourselves. We can’t practice charity, until we are able to detox ourselves from mental stresses, emotional blocks, fears, and neglect. We must learn to love and care for ourselves so that we are able to truly give charity to ourselves and others, not just the “check it off the list” attitude.  When we can learn to care for ourselves with a joyful spirit of fun, then we begin to nourish and heal our bodies and we are better able to give charity to those around us.  This is true charity.  How do we do that?  We start listening to ourselves  and take action.  Here are a few tips:

• keep a journal
• meditate or pray
• exercise regularly
• eat healthy foods
• see your trusted health-care specialist regularly
• have fun doing things you love
• follow your dreams, hopes, and desires
• spend time with people who love and appreciate you
• read uplifting, inspiring and motivational books or writings
• join a support group
• set goals and accomplish them
• find a goal buddy to keep you on track
• make a list of your talents and assets
• make a list of charitable acts of service that are needed in your community

So next time a family member calls and wants us to help mow the lawn or take out the trash, we might want to think about the the wisdom shared today and the difference between true charity, and merely helping with a sense of  duty and responsibility.  Practicing true charity is a gift we give ourselves and others.  Let us end contemplating the words of Maya Angelou:

“When we give cheerfully and accept gratefully, everyone is blessed.”
― Maya Angelou

The Effects of Volunteering on the Physical and Mental Health of Older People

Effects of Volunteering on the Well-Being of Older Adults

Volunteering and Mortality Among Older Adults: Findings From a National Sample – Marc A. Musick,  A. Regula Herzog and  James S. House

Volunteering and Health: What Impact Does it Really Have? A Report to Volunteering England. Casiday, R. and Kinsman, E. and Fisher, C. and Bambra

See Love. Always. All ways.

Click to enlarge, copy, and share with your friends and loved ones. Love is always there with us and around us, if we only stop to see it, always and ALL ways. Much love to you.

Greetings, MBHA friends,

During this week of Thanksgiving, we at the Alliance are grateful for all of our friends. It’s a time when the heart opens to the simplest of things…a  little bird, stopping to tap on a window pane, a spiderweb beaded with the water droplets from the morning dew, a young mother helping an elderly woman with her coat and comforting her as she looks in confusion, searching desperately for her family members or friends.

SEE LOVE. Always. ALL Ways.

This week we at the Monterey Bay Holistic Alliance remember to give thanks and look around at the miracle of LIFE, knowing that IT is a precious gift, not to be tossed away and easily forgotten. We are truly  blessed, so let us take time out to be silent, close our eyes, awaken to this TRUTH and be thankful for the blessings and lessons in life.

THANK YOU for the gift of you. Thank you for the gift of LIFE.

Loving life, always and All Ways,
~MBHA Staff and Volunteers