Gratitude

The mark of a mature seasoned practitioner is being able to take everything onto the path. Everything. A dear friend just completed a lengthy course of treatment for advanced cancer. Throughout he remained calm, positive, but most of all his gratitude overflowed continually. It overflowed to the nurses, to the staff, to those cleaning his hospital room, and to being alive and able to take his next breath. All this while facing death directly in the face, without masks. When he came home, his gratitude continued to flow to those around him, wife, friends, neighbors, and even the chirping birds overhead. The sign of a genuine practitioner is one who has integrated the teachings into his or her life.