GRATITUDE MONTH: DAY 5: “Piglet noticed that even though he had a Very Small Heart, it could hold a rather large amount of Gratitude.”― A.A. Milne
The books of Winnie the Pooh were a great gift to me in my very early childhood. I knew them so well, long before any of the Disney movies came out. I have always recognized the deep spiritual messages in these books. The characters were so beautifully created to have many qualities that we speak of in this world of spiritual principles.
This quote is a long-time favorite, as are many of the Gratitude quotes I use for various purposes. When I wrote my thesis and used Gratitude interventions in treating addiction as my research project, I put this quote in the book.
We have tiny hearts that will grow with the application of these principles. The idea is to go from extreme selfishness and self-centeredness to a heart filled with love for the Universal Power and other beings in our lives and experience. Period.
We can only love ourselves as God’s kids. We can only love others as God’s kids. There is no other way to get to that place. If we believe we can practice self-hatred and still love others, we are completely wrong and disillusioned. It will never be that way?
Why? Because our heart is our vessel for carrying that Universal Power (God) around with us. If we do not find that center within OURSELVES, we cannot find it PERIOD. There is no God “out there” somewhere.
And that means we practice self-love, which begins with self-acceptance and making peace with US. Then, and only then, can we love God. So, the heart has to grow so we can get to THAT. Then, and only then, can we love others.
It does not work the other way around. People believe it can, but it cannot. These steps, these beautiful steps, only work on US, cleaning us out so we can fill ourselves back up with more love. Period. Then we get a concept of the love that Universal Power has for us. Then we can give that to others without conditions and terms. NO CONTRACTS! NO DEMANDS! NO REQUIREMENTS TO FULFILL! Wow! Real unconditional love. It must be me giving it to me at first, because Universal Power teaches me how. THEN, I can spread some of that good shit around. My heart is gigantic on those days, because I walk around filled with gratitude for the love of a Power that gave me the Grace to sit still long enough to learn and practice this. Wow! What a great thing I have discovered, right here, inside my very tiny heart!
Dolphin Hug 