“Gratitude gladdens the heart. It is not sentimental, nor jealous, nor judgmental. As gratitude grows, it gives rise to joy. We experience the courage to rejoice in our own good fortune and in the good fortune of  others. Joy is natural to an open heart. In it, we are not afraid of pleasure. We do not mistakenly believe it is disloyal to the suffering of the world to honor the happiness we have been given. Like gratitude, joy gladdens the heart. We can be joyful for people we love, for moments of goodness, for sunlight and trees and for the breath within our breast. And as our joy grows, we finally discover a happiness without cause. Like an innocent child who does not have to do anything to be happy, we can rejoice in life itself, in being alive.”
~Excerpt from A Meditation on Gratitude and Joy from The Art of Forgiveness, Loving kindness and Peace by Jack Kornfield~

As I celebrate my birthday today, I am immediately overwhelmed by feelings of gratitude to The Almighty. Over the last year there have been many major changes that have happened in my life. Some good, some not so good. But, they have brought me to a place where I yearn for simplicity. I have always been a simplistic soul in the making…I just didnt know how awesome it would feel when I actually simplified EVERYTHING!
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