I am grateful that you are reading this blog despite my intermittent attentions to it. This project has been a gift to me, an continuing source of meaning and images from which I draw upon daily. I wanted to share the contents of the bundle of gratitude that is in my heart.

I have thought much about the bundles: the diversity of things to be grateful for; the mundane and the extraordinary; the shared redness of our blood; the basic humanness of our needs and desires; the shared joy of those needs and desires met. But the string has till now, been about the gratitude itself. The common thread connecting us all as one. Although the string remains the common thread of emotion - that beautiful raw energy of gratitude itself and how it can energize and motivate us toward more positive and meaningful relationships - I am drawn to see that it a thread of kindness.

As I was reading Sharon Salzberg’s book, “The Force of Kindness”, she showed me that the outcome of the Threads of Gratitude are acts of Kindness. She says, “The quality of kindness gives us the ability to take abstract ideals like compassion, or ‘love thy neighbor,’ and make them more authentic and palpable and vibrant each and every day…When we really examine kindness we find it is a deep and abiding understanding of how connected we all are. We see that kindness inspires a sense of ethics independent of any religious adherence, which can guide our families, communities, and the world we live in towards realizing greater safely and peace.”

It is my intention that this project - the practice and the eventual art piece - will inspire kindness though helping people to feel gratitude for ourselves and our lives. By making a tangible way to encapsulating gratitude, to give shape and texture to the emotion of abundance and joy into the physical world I hope for people to really feel how connected we all are. But, I also know that although we must first remember the gratitude and really feel it, we must eventually act from it and with it in our hearts. These acts of gratitude are acts of kindness.

“My religion is very simple. My religion is kindness.” H. H. the XIV Dali Lama.

This is an article by one of my favorite authors and scientists, Daniel Goleman. He addresses the neuroscience of relationships. One of the main benefits I have received from this project is having a concrete was of remembering how I am connected to so many people. It is part of my giving back to reconnect with people from my life in a way that increases positive emotions and well-being.

24 People connecting to the heart beat within

24 People listening to the pounding drum

24 People releasing into blue knots

to be burned in blue flames

24 People tying in blessings

to draw it forth and grow

connecting to each other

to generations gone and coming

24 People together in sound

calling forth the green of spring

and the lights in their souls

24 People lighting

24 Lights, tying

24 Bundles of Gratitude onto

1 Golden Thread

Much Gratitude to Jen Loui for creating and leading the Winter Solstice Ceremony. It was an experience of great artistry, spirit, and joy.Please let me know if you would like to join next year. Thank you also to The Center for Mind Body and Spirit for hosting for the past six years.

This pbs video explores the science and stories about the importance of social connections. It is my hope that this project contributes to more happiness for all of you!

St. Louis Children’s Hospital Volunteers

I am a very grateful new volunteer at St. Louis Children’s Hospital. I greet people as they come into the hospital and help them find where they need to go. Last week we had the first annual 2009 Volunteer Services Year in Review meeting and started the meeting with Threads of Gratitude.

We began the new year of volunteering by reflecting on what we were grateful for from our experiences last year. From holding babies, the friendly security guards, and making art with a child our gratitudes were added to the 100 bundles already on the string.

The golden thread reminded us how we are connected: staff, volunteers, administration, patients and family and to the greater community. The interconnectedness was further reinforced by an inspiring annual report on the Hospital by Vice President, Gary LaBlance. A PhD in Anatomy and Physiology, the energetic and very bright administrator, briefed us on the success of the hospital. Not only did we rank #5 in Parents magazine r its list of the 10 Best Children’s Hospitals in the country but we just received a re-accreditation as a Magnet Hospital, the highest recognition for nursing excellence. To learn more about this fantastic organization follow the link.

The last picture shows a Birthday Event; one of the many places that Threads of Gratitude can bring more joy and positive emotions. So far, I have done the activity for a friend’s birthday and my own.

One thing that I really liked at Kathleen’s was that we did two rounds, and for each we shared out-loud what we were grateful for. In the first, we meditated on the gratitude we have for Kathleen being in our life. As we tied our bundle to the string we expressed our appreciation. It was such a warm and meaningful way to honor her. When we had completed the experience Kathleen kept the stand in a ball and used it as a part of a meditation on feeling loved and supported by her friends before sending it back to join the rest of the assembled bundles.

I’ll admit that I didn’t go all the way with the activity on my birthday. It seemed wrong to ask my friends to say why they were grateful for me. If you too are too shy, I suggest asking a friend to lead the activity and soak up the love. I would have really enjoyed it.

Beautiful friends gathering to celebrate a Birthday!