Around the Circle

Here's what's happening AROUND THE CIRCLE

In This Issue

Sundays

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Gratitude

"In The Circle"

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Soul Food

"To speak gratitude is courteous and pleasant, to enact gratitude is generous and noble, but to live gratitude is to touch Heaven."

-- Johannes A. Gaertner

Thank you, Gary O Smith, for sharing your beautiful photos!

In the Celebration Circle we honor and nurture the Sacred in ourselves, each other, and all Creation.

You're invited to sign up for our Daily Inspiration Circle e-mails.

Just click on the e-mail address below:

circle4peace@yahoo.com

with "subscribe" in the subject line and you'll receive a bit of the Circle, sent with love, every day.

Tech Question -

For folks who use mobile devices, would you prefer to receive this as as a text document (no graphics)? Let me know and we'll give it a try.

circle4peace@yahoo.com

The cute little puppy that our son, Mateo, got for Christmas last year has grown into a sweet, but solid, 45-pound bundle of muscular energy. Zoe is very docile 95% of the time, but she can really move when she gets excited. Last week, while strolling out to the mailbox together, she spied a squirrel and went dashing off, smashing me from behind and bowling me over. Ouch! Feeling my lower back had been knocked out of whack, I immediately phoned our family chiropractor for an appointment. By the time I saw Dr. Owen the next morning, I was in a lot of pain. Fortunately, it didn't seem like any permanent damage had been done. Unfortunately, my sacrum and a lower lumbar disc had been jammed tight, leaving me little choice but to spend the next few days getting a series of chiropractic treatments (unbudgeted medical expenses!), minimize movement (major inconvenience!), maximize bed rest (more inconvenience!) and apply ice frequently (distinctly unpleasant sensation!). Boy, was I ever mad at Zoe when I came home from Dr. Owen's office.

But an interesting thing happened over the next few days, as I cut back on my appointments, avoided the discomfort of sitting at my desk, and became intimately acquainted with an ice pack instead. Propped up on the sofa, nursing my aching back, with Zoe lying sweetly on the floor right next to me, I found my anger toward her shift to a deep sense of gratitude. Thanking her for this period of enforced rest. For nudging me away from my desk. For helping me see just how much energy I fritter away in the office. For reminding me how much I love to exercise - and how seldom I've been doing it in recent months, simply because I've stayed "too busy." And for a pointed demonstration of the precious, precarious nature of life; how circumstances can drastically change in one moment as a result of one brief fall, one phone call, one seemingly innocuous shove from a puppy.

One week, two ice packs, and four chiropractic treatments later, I'm happy to report that my back is feeling much better. And how glad I am that Zoe helped me get a head start on celebrating Thanksgiving by getting in touch with gratitude. She may have delivered a mixed blessing, but it was a blessing nonetheless. Which leads me to ask: What are YOU grateful for? And why not spend a few minutes, right now, swimming in a sea of gratitude for your many blessings?

With gratitude and hopes that you'll find yourself with a long list of people, circumstances and pets (???) to help you celebrate your personal Thanksgiving, too,

PS: I hope you can join us this Sunday, November 22, for our Almost-Annual Thanksgiving Potluck Lunch. It will be held immediately after our morning Circle, from 12:30pm - 2:00pm at CircleSpace, located at 120 Guadalupe Street (just a few blocks from JumpStart). A Circle member has graciously offered to cook the all natural turkey as well as a Tofurkey (vegetarian option!); you're invited to bring a favorite side dish or dessert - and we'll feast on good food and each other's company. Please let us know if you're planning to come by responding to this e-mail, clicking here, or calling the Circle office at (210)533-6767. It would be helpful if you'll let us know what you plan to bring, too!