THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING! Written by Alan Cohen

November 26, 2002

To wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving, here is some 'food for thought'.

Gloria

- okay4me2003

Hafiz

Monday, November 25, 2002 4:28 PM

[Hafiz] THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING! Written by Alan Cohen

THE STORY IS TOLD ABOUT A WOMAN ZEN MASTER named Sono who taught one

very simple method of enlightenment. She advised everyone who came

to her to adopt an affirmation to be said many times a day, under all

conditions.The affirmation was, "THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING. I HAVE NO

COMPLAINT WHATSOEVER."Many people from all arenas of life came to

Sono for healing. Some were in physical pain; others were

emotionally distraught; others had financial troubles; some were

seeking soul liberation. No matter what their distress or what

question they asked her, her response was the same: "Thank you for

everything. I have no complaint whatsoever." Some people went away

disappointed; others grew angry; others tried to argue with her. Yet

some people took her suggestion to heart and began to practice it.

Tradition tells that everyone who practiced Sono's mantra found peace

and healing.Thank you for everything. I have no complaint whatsoever.

My friend Lisa, an attractive woman in her late 30's, came to one of

my seminars after I had not seen her for a number of years. She

informed the group that a year earlier she had been diagnosed with a

brain disorder that required immediate surgery. The surgery was

done, a steel plate was inserted in her head, and her doctor keeps

her under close observation. Lisa reported that now she lives from

day to day. Privately I told Lisa that I was sorry she had gone

through this whole ordeal. "Oh, don't be sorry," she told Me

emphatically."I'm not sorry at all. This was one of the best Things

that has ever happened to me. It really got me to appreciate my life

and relationships. I married a wonderful guy and we are thinking

about having children. I wouldn't trade the experience if I could."

Thank you for everything. I have no complaint whatsoever.Can you

imagine what your life would be like if you simply dropped your

complaints? It's a radical proposal, since most of us have Been

trained to question, analyze, and criticize everything we see. But

then we end up questioning, analyzing, and criticizing ourselves.

Then we miss out on joy, the only true measure of success.The

ecstatic mystic poet Hafiz proclaimed, "All a sane man can ever think

about is giving love." One evening I received a phone call from my

friend Cliff, a Jewish guy from Brooklyn who discovered A Course in

Miracles and became a world-class love exuder. Cliff just went

around finding good and beauty in everyone he met. On the phone,

Cliff told me, "I just called to tell you how much I love And

appreciate you.""Well, thank you Cliff," I answered, delighted. "I

really Appreciate that .. . What prompted you to call me at this

moment?""My knee was hurting me, and I knew that the only way I could

Feel better would be to give more love. So I began to think of the

people in my life who I care about, and you came to mind." Thank you

for everything. I have no complaint whatsoever.As we approach the

holiday of Thanksgiving, many of us will be getting together with our

families. Perhaps family issues may come to the fore and we might be

tempted to fall into a pattern of rehashing old resentments and

arguments. Wouldn't it be fabulous if, as we sat with our relatives,

we held in mind, "Thank you for everything. I have no complaint

whatsoever."Imagine what this Thanksgiving would be like if we

decided that no matter how much Mom complained about Dad; how much

Dad bugged us about getting a real job; or how unspiritual our ex is,

we chose to be an unstoppable appreciation machine and found the good

in our loved ones. Indeed this would be a triumphant Thanksgiving to

remember!Yes, I know, there is a voice inside you objecting, "But if I

did not complain, people would walk all over me and selfish

opportunists would genetically manipulate my food and terrorists

would keep crashing airplanes into buildings and . . . and. . .

Got it. Now if you went to Sono, her response would be, "Thank you

for everything. I have no complaint whatsoever." I am simply

suggesting that we practice the mantra for an entire Thanksgiving

day. And then maybe one day a week. Then we might start to feel so

good and our lives will become so effective that we want to turn

every day into Thanksgiving.In my book Handle with Prayer I state

that the highest form of prayer is gratitude. Instead of asking God

for stuff, start thanking God for stuff, and you will find that God

has already given you everything you could want or need, including

the adventure of discovering more riches every day.Life is a big

treasure hunt. Eventually we grow weary of seeking treasures outside

ourselves, and we begin to look within. There we discover that the

gold we sought, we already are. The beauty we overlooked because we

were focusing on what was missing, still lives and awaits us like an

anxious lover. As T.S. Eliot nobly noted, The end of all our

exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for

the first time.Thank you for everything. I have no complaint

whatsoever. Have a great Thanksgiving.Lenny Addresses:To Post a Hafiz

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November 27, 2002

Another way of expressing that is "Everything is as it should be. I am so happy"

Not being smart enough to know God/the Infinite/the Mystery's plan, I

just assume that he/she/it knows what they are doing, even if it

looks skewed from my angle.

Gelf

Gloria Lee

[glee (AT) citlink (DOT) net]Tuesday, November 26, 2002 3:07 PMTo:

HS; path THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING! Written

by Alan Cohen