A Pledge for Grateful Living – An Invitation

Grateful living brings in place of greed: sharing; in place of oppression: respect; in place of violence; peace. ~ Br. David Steindl-Rast

Are you feeling concerned or heartbroken by the state of our world? Are you wondering how you might find the clarity, strength and/or courage to participate more fully in creating the more beautiful world our hearts know is possible*?

There are many ways to show up for a peaceful and sustainable future. Every little thing we do counts and matters. Whether it is a warm response to a stranger seeking directions; the consciousness we bring to the purchases we make; or a lifelong involvement in justice- or peace-work — it is all important because we are co-creating our future in each moment. Given this, what support and inspiration can we harness to live each moment in alignment with our most deeply-held values?

What could be the gift in this given moment of history? The gift hidden in our unprecedented world crisis is an equally unprecedented opportunity. The gift within every gift is opportunity. For us, these days, it is the opportunity to wake up.~ Br. David

One way that we live in greater alignment is through being intentional; declaring what we care about and taking a stand for those things. We can make these declarations privately or publicly. The key is that when we become truly intentional about something, it allows us to lean into that intention when we find ourselves presented with challenging choices or when we are called upon to do or be more.

In this spirit of living with intention we invite you to…

Join us for our Thanksgiving Practice

(Registration is now closed for the Thanksgiving Practice)

This year, over the course of five days we will explore belonging, generosity, creativity, non-violence and courage through A Pledge for Grateful Living, crafted by Br. David in 2008.

Here is how it will work:

1. Click HERE or at the button below to sign up for the pledge practice.
2. Beginning on Wednesday, November 22 and continuing for 5 days you will receive an email with a stanza from the pledge, a related short practice or question, and a resource to reflect upon for that day.
3. At the end of 5 days, you will have an opportunity to join others in signing the pledge in your declared commitment to grateful living as one of the solutions and healing balms in our world.

At times of doubt you can lean on your commitment to living gratefully as a reminder to look for the opportunity in a given situation, and therefore to continue to learn and grow as – together – we create a world in which we all know, and feel, we belong.

Registration will CLOSE Tuesday, November 21 at 5 PM, ET. If you signed up, you will receive your first email on Wednesday, November 22, 2017.

Registration is now closed for the Thanksgiving Practice

These Thanksgiving resources are still available:

• Ideas and Practices for A Grateful Thanksgiving
• Thanksgiving Blessings

We hope that you were able to join us for this Thanksgiving Pledge Practice and we leave you with these words to reflect upon:

It is within my own heart that I must recognize fear, agitation, coldness, alienation, blind anger and the impulse to retaliation. Here in my heart I can turn fear into courageous trust, agitation into stillness, confusion into clarity, isolation into a sense of belonging, alienation into love, and irrational reaction into Common Sense. The creative intelligence of gratefulness will suggest to each one of us how to go about this task. ~ Br. David

With grateful hearts in our shared values,

* The More Beautiful World Our Hearts Know Is Possible is the title of a powerful and provocative book by Charles Eisenstein.

Please feel free to share below a Reflection about what moves you to join this Practice…